I've never heard of Boden ....

[Feelingsandtears]

I'm 28 and I've never heard of it.
Have I been living under a rock.
What age is its target audience?
Is it for the more mature lady.
All I've seen since I joined is Boden this Boden that.
Am I missing out?

That's disappointing - I'd heard they were one of the better employers in the clothing industry. Mind you, I suppose that could still be true

The Boden margins are no different to anyone else's. There or there abouts.

Sometimes I really wish I didn't like clothes so much. I've heard awful things about working for Asos - that really put me off buying from them. And of course Philip Green is in a league of his own.

I think Boden is increasingly becoming my staple for smart work dresses and their footwear has been great for the last two seasons. I don't buy any prints from there at all!

I'd heard of Boden before MN.

I love their children's range (which generally is good quality and wears really well), and I also have a couple of dresses. I only buy in the sale or when they send me a voucher.

If I was being cynical I'd think this thread was started by someone at Boden :)
I buy Boden but am selective. No garish prints, mainly simple plain tops, trousers and the very occasional dress . Winter coats are nice. You can't compare the quality with trashy H&M or Zara. I have never seen one thing in Zara worth buying- reminds me of the old C&A.

It's all overpriced, but so is Hobbs, Jigsaw, Ted Baker, French Connection, Reiss, Whistles- all of them! Wait for the sales and nothing less than 20% discounts.

How old is that ad posted upthread though. I guess you could find a 10yo ad from any company and it would look old fashioned.
Fwiw I had heard and bought from Boden before I joined mumsnet, I had discovered the children's clothes first (which honestly you cannot fault - it's so hard to find decent quality boys clothes that don't attempt to make your child look like a mini chav). I buy lots from there for myself too as I like natural fabrics and good quality. To each their own I guess. I wouldn't consider myself to be frumpy but then who does! I will admit that I often wear the much-slated combo of skinny jeans, Breton top and ballet flats though, and I'd never claim to have my finger on the pulse of fashion; but for well-made basics I think Boden are great.

it's so hard to find decent quality boys clothes that don't attempt to make your child look like a mini chav

To each their own indeed.

I found them through Mumsnet too! I love their boys clothes. Good quality and bright colours. And comfortable

I've bought from Boden for dd since she was 2yrs( now 9), in fact nearly exclusively for a few years, and have been generally very happy with the quality of clothes. Any problems ie: elastic twisting in skirt, colour fading on a top I have rung customer services and they have immediately offered replacement or a refund no questions asked.
Imo the women's knitwear bobbles horribly but their footwear has again always been really good.
I never buy without a discount and have made the most of stacking codes in the past before they cottoned on. Dd wore yesterday a lovely cotton dress picked picked up from last summers sale on what I think was a 70% off day and cost me £4.20 - I can't buy her a dress in primark for that.

what is more scary is the number of people who only seem to hear about things through Mumsnet! I bought from them over 20 years ago when they had a tiny range of what I'd call 'country style ' clothes- bit like Barbour- and they used customers as models with a little bio about each of them.

They are like any company- good and bad. I'd put them on a par with Hobbs but slightly more quirky (garish prints.)

They aren't high fashion but they fill the gap for someone like me who is late 50s and not ready for the Phase 8 which is usually all synthetic.

Why is it scary that people have only heard of Boden through MN Polly? IMO Boden only seem to do marketing once you've signed up to them (and then you're bloody inundated with emails and catalogues)

How else would I have heard of them Polly when they don't have any shops, google searches for clothes items don't bring them up and I don't know anyone who buys from them?

I hadn't heard of them until I has ds (12 years ago) and my sil bought him some things, she already wore quite a bit of Boden then and was mid twenties at the time. I bought quite a bit through a 'mumsy' phase of my life when I had two small ones, then went completely off it and sold it all. The last couple of seasons they have massively changed though, (they have some kind of new person running stuff ish - super sketchy can't remember cba to google) anyway both their marketing and their clothes have changed quite a bit, I have bought loads in the sale and it is mostly fa.

Oh yeah Polly I used to love reading all the facts about the models!!

I can't remember where I first came across them as it would be about 25 years ago. It certainly wasn't MN as it didn't exist then. I think it was a mail shot or ads in newspapers. I think they had /have adverts in most of the broadsheets / supplements and a lot of a fashion editors (in women's mags and newsprint) pick their pieces when they are writing about 'what to buy'.

Oh, and I don't buy newspapers or magazines.

If I was being cynical I'd think this thread was started by someone at Boden.
You could be right. Thanks to this thread, I've dug out their last catalogue and remembered I was thinking of ordering a ruched top.

That doesn't make your male child look like a mini chav!!!?
Haha. Good one!

well, Nicknamed, if you don't use print media, you will miss a lot of things, not just 'fashion'. Boden crops up on the financial pages of broadsheets, where the business is analysed, interviews with lovely Johnnie, etc etc- not just the fashion pages.