Boden

After working as a stockbroker in the City of London and on Wall Street – a job he reportedly spent years "loathing" – Johnnie Boden decided to go out on his own. He identified a gap in the British market for an upmarket mail order clothing catalogue of the kind he'd seen during his time in New York. The brand’s launch catalogue in November 1991 was a hand-drawn affair conceived on the founder's kitchen table with just eight menswear products. Womenswear launched in 1992. The Mini Boden childrenswear range followed in 1996. Boden started selling clothes online in the UK in 1999 and then launched websites in the US (2002), Germany (2007), France (2011) and Australia (2014). The business upgraded its websites in January 2025 and customers can shop from dedicated Boden websites in its UK, US and EU markets and through a number of large third-party retailers globally.

In October 2025, Boden triggered backlash after it launched a campaign featuring models posing as fisherman holding dead salmon. Critics called the fashion shoot “irresponsible” at a time when salmon stocks in Britain’s rivers are at an all-time low.

Johnnie Boden has described Boden customers as being “interested in fashion” without being obsessed with it. The brand is known for its bold colour and attention to detail. Products often feature spots, stripes, printed fabrics and checks. As an entrepreneur Johnnie Boden has championed British creativity. These efforts were recognised with the award of a CBE for services to fashion and the retail sector in the New Year Honours List, announced on 30 December 2022.