Reiss relishes the Kate Middleton effect

Within 12 hours, the coat had sold out across the globe. In the following weeks the Duchess's wardrobe choices saw the virtually unknown label Libélula sell out of a black velvet coat, the sale of Issa dresses increase 10-fold at Harvey Nichols and the websites of a number of high-street stores crumble as they struggled to cope with the sheer volume of customers seeking to emulate her style.

The Kate Middleton Effect was picking up serious pace and, to the delight of Britain's retailers, cash registers rang out like wedding bells.

No one enjoyed this more than high-street chain Reiss, who at the end of last year reported an increase in sales from £85 million to £95 million after being championed by the Duchess.

Kate famously picked a white Nanette dress from the brand for the official royal engagement shoot and also her first outing as a member of the royal family - lunch with President Obama and his wife Michelle at Buckingham Palace.

Last week the company announced profits of around £8.5 million from the UK arm of its business - an increase of £4.2 million on the previous year.

"Initially, I really didn't get to grips with the effect Kate was going to have on us but I soon found out," says the brand's owner, David Reiss.

In the weeks after Mario Testino's photographs of the engagement emerged, Reiss's face appeared in newspapers and magazines across the world. "I can't think of another time that something has got so much publicity as that dress," he adds.

In an age where celebrities are sent lorry-loads of clothes from fashion houses keen to snare a new brand ambassador, it's easy to be cynical about the Duchess's relationship with the chain. But that cynicism, Reiss says, is unfounded.

"We had no idea she was going to wear that dress. We never know when she might wear something. She's been a customer of ours for four or five years now and we've always been very understated about it."

But Reiss is wise to a good thing when he sees it.
"I've never met her [Kate] but I'm told she is absolutely delightful. Since Diana, there's been no one like her, and I'm very proud to be associated with her."

Having bubbled under the radar for decades, it is only in the past two years that the brand has achieved global recognition. But Reiss is adamant that Kate isn't responsible for all the recent success.

"I'd like to think it's not just coincidence. Over the past two years I've been so focused about where I want to take the brand. I'm focused on where I want us to be positioned."

Since taking over his father's business - a small men's outfitter in Billingsgate in 1971 - Reiss has never rested on his laurels.

Within his first year of business he had taken out a small loan to buy the building next door, transforming it into a sleek, contemporary men's store. He expanded into womenswear in 1991 and today the chain has some 110 shops across the world - including a recently opened concession in Bloomingdales, New York and the chain's first store in Hong Kong.

Closer to home, Reiss, 68, has three grown-up children and has recently become a grandfather. He lives with his wife in Highgate and his latest venture, a new store which opened in Westfield Stratford last autumn, is keeping him on his toes.
"I think I'm more excited than I've ever been. I'm always happy when I'm not standing still. The people I admire in this industry are the ones who stick to their beliefs - Armani, Ralph Lauren, Paul Smith. These are people who have been in the business 30, 40 years. They know who they are and who their customers are. They're not swayed by nonsense."

It is this passion for luxury that drives Reiss. While other retailers on the high street are focused on cyclical fashion trends, he is following a different track. His design team has a collective CV that reads like Kate Moss's handbag collection.

"We've got people in our team who came from the likes of Stella McCartney, Givenchy, Pucci and from Calvin Klein. Everyone has got to be of that level and we believe we're giving the customer what they want - more luxury," says Reiss.

"People are waking up and realising that if they buy that £10 jacket from Primark, it is never going to feel special. Whether it's on trend or not, something still needs to look good. I think people get that now."

It isn't it madness to expect customers to pay out £200 for a dress when they can get one for £60 at Topshop? Especially given that we are teetering on the edge of another recession?

"It's not as if the world has collapsed," he says, so pragmatically that I feel stupid for bringing it up. "When times are hard you don't give up. You figure out a way to move things forward."