As the Premier League kicks off, Retail Week looks at where football’s WAGs across the UK buy their glamorous wardrobes.
Surrey
Chelsea’s training ground is located in Cobham and the town and surrounding area has become a hotbed for sports stars and their partners as a result.
The post office on the high street sells bottles of Dom Perignon champagne and the nearby Suzanne Boutique sells womenswear designer gear from luxury brands including Max Mara, Armani and Moschino. Louise Redknapp and Toni Poole, both of whom live in nearby Oxshott, are fans of the store.
The store was founded by Dee Macauley, a local resident and former marketing boss who “has become an expert of the area and the needs of the Surrey clientele”.
Esher high street’s designer store Bernard’s Boutique is also a big draw for WAGs, including local resident and Gary Lineker’s ex-wife Danielle Bux.
Run by husband and wife team Barrie and Helene, the shop sells designer clothes and accessories from brands including Alexander Wang and Vivienne Westwood.
Cheshire
Alderley Edge is perhaps the most well-known of the footballer enclaves dotted around the UK.
Sitting 15 miles south of Manchester and 40 miles east of Liverpool, it’s home to many sporting stars from the clubs that surround the cities, including Wayne Rooney, Peter Crouch, Angel di Maria and Kolo Toure.
And spouses Coleen Rooney, Abbey Clancy and Jorgelina di Maria sustain several designer boutiques, unusual for a village the size of Alderley Edge.
Rocca is one of the most popular. Owner Tiffany Lund already ran a successful boutique in Harrogate when she opened Rocca in Alderley Edge in 2012.
Lund stocks a wide range of designers, many of them British, from Matthew Williamson and Julien Macdonald to the more directional Richard Nicoll and Markus Lupfer, in addition to Charlotte Olympia shoes and Anya Hindmarch accessories.
She also stocks the ultimate WAG success story, Victoria Beckham. A one-time Alderley Edge resident, Beckham’s style evolution from his’n’hers double denim to heading up one of the most desirable labels ensures that her pieces fly off shelves around the world, not least in her former home town.
Famous customers include Dawn Ward, Real Housewives of Cheshire star and wife to former England footballer Ashley Ward, Jude Cisse, the ex-wife of former Liverpool star striker Djibri Cisse, and Shauna Muamba, wife of Bolton Wanderer player Fabrice Muamba.
Nearby Scandi-inspired retailer Tuula is also a popular choice. Set up by Nicki Moreton, who previously worked for Danish fashion brands, Tuula – a Danish girl’s name – takes Scandinavian lifestyle trends as its starting point.
About 80% of its stock comes from Danish designers including Malene Birger’s various labels, By Malene Birger and Day Birger et Mikkelsen, as well as DR Denim and underwear brand Becksondergaard.
In addition it stocks US label 360 Cashmere, French designers American Vintage and Hartford and New Zealander Rebecca Taylor.
Tuula recently expanded to a larger premises in order to cater better to customers including the area’s WAGs and TV presenter Ferne Cotton.
Liverpool
With two top football clubs in the city, it is no surprise that Merseyside’s boutiques are some of the most well-known stop-offs for the wives and girlfriends such as Abbey Clancy, married to Stoke player Peter Crouch, and Alex Curran, partner of former England captain Steven Gerrard, who has just taken on the job of Liverpool coach.
They’ll soon be joined by Coleen Rooney, wife of the newly-returned Everton player Wayne.
Operating at the high-end of the market, Cricket bills itself as “Liverpool’s ultimate luxury retailer” and stocks its rails accordingly.The original WAG boutique Cricket’s owner Justine Mills has become an expert on the style of the wives and girlfriends.
Offering everything from newcomer Alexa Chung, who has just made the transition from It Girl to designer, to heritage houses such as Celine and Balenciaga, via stalwart Isabel Marant, Cricket has positioned itself as the go-to boutique for the area’s WAGS.
Its Instagram is peppered with the likes of Curran and Emmerdale star and wife to former Liverpool player Harry Kewell, Sheree Murphy, all dressed in clothes bought at the store.
Daniel’s store, in the city’s Met Quarter, is a footwear mecca for Liverpool’s WAGs, with Coleen Rooney a regular customer.
Established by Daniel Buck, the boutique stocks its own brands, Daniel and DF by Daniel, in addition to an assortment of luxury brands and standalone brands.
Aesthetic wise, Daniel stocks everything from the laidback Alexander Wang to preppy Tory Burch, complemented by bags and accessories.
Newcastle
Newcastle may have just returned to the Premier League but its retail offer has always been top of the league. The city’s WAGs descend upon boutique Jules B in the affluent, leafy suburb of Jesmond.
Jules B has been trading for more than 30 years and is run by husband and wife team Julian and Rhona Blades.
Before setting up shop, Jules was an agent for Barbour and Rhona was a fashion lecturer at Newcaste College.
The boutique stocks designer favourites such as Vivienne Westwood, Hugo Boss and Paul Smith, as well as an array of up-and-coming brands such as Oska, Grizas and Crea Concept.
Other destinations for Newcastle’s WAGs are cutting-edge mini-chain Cruise, which has two stores in Newcastle city centre, and long-time favourite of WAGs Flannels, which has 16 stores across the UK including in Gateshead’s Metro Centre.
Coincidentally both Cruise and Flannels are owned by Newcastle United owner and billionaire retailer Mike Ashley, who bought an 80% stake in Cruise from Sir Tom Hunter in 2011 and 51% of Flannels in 2012.
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