Reiss Thanks Kate as Profits Double

The British fashion chain reported that profits surged to £8.5m from £4.3m in the year to 31 January 2011, whilst sales rose to £87.6m from £77.7m.

Reiss rose to international prominence when the Duchess, then Kate Middleton, chose to wear a dress from its range for an official portrait to mark her engagement to Prince William. After she appeared wearing the dress in Mario Testino’s portrait, Reiss’s website crashed and the company said it sold a dress per minute.

Since then, Kate has worn Reiss to meet President Obama, on her official state visit to Canada and to a day at the races.

Reiss, still a family owned chain, also credited tighter cost control and the launch of its Reiss 1971 sub-brand with the positive results. ‘Every aspect of the brand was appraised, in order to highlight this and to make a more dynamic and sexier statement,’ the brand said in a statement.