The story of Freemans from 1905 via 1970s style icon George Best to SS25 menswear by Harry Brown, Threadbare and Under Armour

Bradford-based Freemans – once fronted by dapper British style icon George best – is celebrating 120 years of British home shopping. Now it is hoping to capture new generations of menswear shoppers with the launch of its new SS25 collections. Yorkshire Post Fashion Editor Stephanie Smith reports.

There are copies of the Freemans catalogue in the British Museum and at Oxford University’s Bodleian Library. Once considered a bible of British shopping, Freemans stopped printing its mighty shopping tome back in 2023, after 118 years, as 21st-century customers transferred their attention, and bank cards, to the internet.

Freemans, which is based in Bradford, celebrates its 120th birthday this year, and is now a “digital department store”. Via Freemans.com, it showcases and sells pretty much everything that it has done for many years, from womenswear (Sophie Ellis-Bexter is the current campaign face) to childrenswear, toys, homewares and electrical, beauty products and gifts.

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But this season, Freemans is going after the men, and has launched a spring/summer 2025 campaign to target chaps of all ages, styles and interests.

George Best modelling coats in the 1970s in the Freemans catalogue. Image: Freemansplaceholder image
George Best modelling coats in the 1970s in the Freemans catalogue. Image: Freemans

The Freemans man is a dad, a son, a partner, says Susie Calvert, Freemans chief merchandising officer. “He isn’t wedded to the latest trend, but style is more of a factor, he likes big name brands, and value is important to him,” she says.

“Our female customer tends to shop for her partner or family member, which is fabulous. We would like to attract more male customers. Interestingly, many are coming through because of our strengthened electricals offer.

“We’ve been on a journey over the last few years – all about making sure Freemans is as relevant as ever. We started with womenswear. Our menswear customer has been a little under-represented and this is what this initiative addresses, all about providing, more choice, inspiration, quality, value, with ranges to suit the needs of today’s menswear shopper for every occasion with well-known names they know and trust.”

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So, for SS25, Freemans has been expanding its existing menswear selection, which includes Superdry, North Face, Joe Browns, Helly Hansen, Jack & Jones, Lyle & Scott, Under Armour and Adidas. March saw the launch of Italian hipster label Napapijri, renowned for its cult classic Rainforest overhead jacket, plus cool graphic tees, sweatshirts and shorts.

Freemans SS25 collection featuring Harry Brown Giacomo Cotton Linen Double Breasted Suit Jackets, £139, and Trousers £75, at Freemans.com.placeholder image
Freemans SS25 collection featuring Harry Brown Giacomo Cotton Linen Double Breasted Suit Jackets, £139, and Trousers £75, at Freemans.com.

In April, Ted Baker landed with its signature stylish polos and shirts. July will see the introduction of the Lacoste label, bringing its iconic polo shirts, sweats, shirts and tees. Other new brands for summer include Farah, Casual Friday, Original Penguin and US Polo Association, while Selected Homme and Only & Sons will launch in the autumn.

Customer demand has seen the Threadbare range more than triple in size. Formalwear brand Skopes is also expanded, and Harry Brown launched in April, offering its modern twist of pastel-coloured suits, perfect for summer weddings, races or parties.

With sales of outdoor clothes rising 21 per cent post-lockdown, Freemans has also expanded its outdoor offer as shoppers now buy year-round. Norwegian brand Helly Hansen has already launched, alongside Mountain Warehouse and TOG24.

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Founded in Clapham in London in 1905, in the late 1990s Freemans and Grattan joined forces and the brand moved to Bradford in 2009, using Grattan’s head office at Anchor House on Ingleby Road and warehousing in Bradford and Peterborough.

A menswear Freemans catalogue page from the 1980s. Picture: Freemansplaceholder image
A menswear Freemans catalogue page from the 1980s. Picture: Freemans

“We’ve been in our current location in Little Germany, in the heart of Bradford, since 2012, a former wool warehouse – rather aptly,” says Ann Steer, Freemans chief executive officer, adding that 500 colleagues work across the head office and the warehouse.

“We moved away from the huge telephone directory type catalogue. There were all sorts of reasons, such as existing customers were more comfortable with buying on-line.

“What this has done is to be able to offer more products than ever before across, fashion, home, accessories, beauty. It also means, as everything is online, we can listen to what customers want and be much more flexible, making changes to our products and offers at Freemans.com, which in essence is our shop window to reflect their needs.

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“We have also chosen to focus on a customer who is over 40. Our research still shows that this shopper still feels neglected or forgotten with many high street brands.”

Freemans SS25 collection featuring Threadbare Grandad Collar Linen Blend Short Sleeve Shirt, £24 at Freemans.com.placeholder image
Freemans SS25 collection featuring Threadbare Grandad Collar Linen Blend Short Sleeve Shirt, £24 at Freemans.com.

“We recognised that Freemans had got huge potential for the future, our customers love the brand and there are many more potential customers who have yet to discover us. As one of the country’s best known retail brands, we wanted to do something about it, to re-launch it to be a relevant exciting brand for customers today.

“We’ve had a bit of a helping hand with famous faces such as Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Myleene Klass. It means that Freemans has grown a whopping 150 per cent in five years. Standing still simply isn’t an option and menswear is just an example of that. We have loads more exciting things in the planning. It feels like we have only just got started.”

Susie Calvert says that, when it comes to tailoring, men are growing in confidence with colour, especially during the summer months. “One of our exciting new additions is Harry Brown, a British brand that perfectly captures this seasonal shift. Their use of pastels and natural tones - particularly the standout pastel green – offers a fresh alternative to the traditional blacks, navies, and greys, without stepping too far outside the comfort zone.

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“The revere collar shirt remains a favourite, combining effortless style with a laid back, summer vibe. We’re also noticing a shift toward more relaxed fits, whether that’s in a shirt or the chino shorts it’s paired with.” Ann says: “Deep down, the wants and needs of customers haven't changed that much in 120 years. As in 1905 they are looking for a Freemans that shows that they understand them, offers them products at the right time and at the right price.”

Freemans.com

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