Joshua Adams Menswear wins big at Draper Independents Awards

Joshua Adams Menswear, who have shops in Cleckheaton and Ilkley, won the ‘Menswear Independent of the Year’ at the Draper Independents Awards.

Numerous judges praised the business at the ceremony hosted at Grosvenor House in London last week.

They said the "progressive, future-focused approach of this menswear independent, impressed with its investment in customer experience, beautiful store design, inclusive product offering, and digitally-forward, robust forward planning."

"It is absolutely amazing. We never thought we would win it," said Joshua Adams Menswear owner Stephanie Norris.

The team went down to attend the ceremony in London (Image: Draper Independents Awards)"It covers the whole of the UK and Ireland. There were some really impressive menswear stores.

"It was a fabulous venue, it is really prestigious. There were hundreds of people there, representing all areas of retail.

"We definitely made sure we had a ticket just in case, so we could bring the trophy home.

"It took me three seconds, once they announced us, to realise we had won it."

Coming through such tough competition, Mrs Norris believes it is Joshua Adams' ability to offer a range of products and sizes which make them stand out.

She also highlighted how the business reacted to restrictions being lifted following the pandemic.

The co-owner said: "We carry sizes from 34-60 chest so we are very passionate about individuality.

"It doesn't really matter what shape or size you are. You deserve to look and feel amazing.

"The sector has had a really buoyant year since Covid.

"We reinvested everything back into the business and what we deliver to customers.

"We have not just stood still post-Covid. We just keep moving forward.

"People wanted to treat themselves to something new (post-Covid) because it was such a special thing for people to go out and celebrate whatever the occasion was."

This cumulated in the firm moving to a bigger store in Cleckheaton earlier this year.

In January, they opened a site comprising over 4500 square feet of retail and workshop space for alterations over two floors on Market Street.

And Mrs Norris says they are not finished expanding just yet.

"We still have ambitions to grow," she said.

"We have already expanded our Cleckheaton store, so the next 12 months is about embedding into that, as well as pushing Ilkley.

"Then after that, we will look for our next store. Watch this space!"