Gareth Southgate is menswear influencer as UK waistcoat sales rise

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jul 2, 2018

The appearance of the England football manager in a waistcoat at World Cup matches has boosted sales of the item at M&S, according to the retailer.

The Gareth Southgate effect has seen waistcoat sales rising 35%, the retailer (which is the long-term official suit supplier to the England team) said at the weekend.

Southgate has been a very visible presence on the touchline for the England team’s first three matches and whether the team makes it through the next game or not, M&S clearly seems to have been a winner from the tournament so far.

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It’s impressive that the waistcoats have been selling given that Britain is in the grip of a heatwave and M&S might expect to be selling more casual pieces rather than anything formal made in merino wool.

The full official suits, which are made at the Alfred Brown mill in Yorkshire, retails at £265 at the chain with the red, white and blue tie also sported by Southgate available for £25.

The suit was originally unveiled back in May and made few waves given a general feeling that England might not reach the knockout stage of the tournament. But if the team beats Colombia on Tuesday, the excitement that has been building up is likely to benefit M&S still further.

Southgate’s waistcoat has already been a trending item on social media and has won the England manager praise compared to other managers who have favoured tracksuits.