Following Top Shop, Jane Shepherdson makes Whistles a must-have brand

It may be the hottest day of the year in London, but retail guru Jane Shepherdson still looks as fresh as a daisy. Wearing a boxy white top and black Capri pants, she rifles through the rails of Whistles' latest collection. But then, looking cool and relaxed is part of the design mantra at Whistles. "Whistles is about fashion, but not fad-fashion, as we don't slavishly follow it," Shepherdson says.

Perhaps it is the pared-down clean lines and feminine aesthetic that has driven Chinese customers in their droves to Whistles concessions in Printemps in Paris and Harrods in London. Shepherdson saw an opportunity to look east to build the brand, but was hesitant. "China is quite a scary region because we know so little about it," she says.

A chance meeting with Andrea O'Donnell, executive director of Lane Crawford, presented an opening that she could not refuse. Whistles' leather jackets, printed dresses, and chunky hand knits have just arrived at Lane Crawford's IFC Mall, Times Square and Canton Road stores, and will reach Shanghai in October.

Whistles, which was founded in 1976, is part of a growing group of mid-market contemporary brands that are sweeping through the retail scene in Hong Kong. There are US labels like J. Crew, Theory, Rag & Bone, French brands like Maje, Kooples and Sandro and also an influx of Scandinavian brands in stores around Wan Chai.

Sarah Rutson, fashion director at Lane Crawford, doesn't subscribe to the "middle market" label for such brands. She prefers describes the phenomenon as "democratic fashion and dressing", which she says is appealing to customers who buy both designer and contemporary brands. Fashion is not as segmented as it once was. The appeal of Whistles and J. Crew, she says, is linked to the fact fashion brands are available everywhere: "Whistles is still a UK-centric brand, just as J. Crew has been US-centric," she says.