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Don’t be fooled by the floral frocks, the British high street is a man’s world — a money-making boys’ club in which the testosterone flows as freely as champagne. Its key figures have yachts in Saint Tropez, bank accounts in Monaco and an aggressive approach to churning out our clothes at a rapid pace. The exception? Jane Shepherdson, chief executive of premium high-street brand Whistles.

Having arrived at Whistles from Topshop in 2008, Shepherdson, 49, has transformed the once froufrou label into a major player on the British retail scene. Last month, with expansion at the forefront of its strategy, the company bought back a significant proportion of its equity from the Icelandic government which had held a major share in the company since the banking crisis began four years ago. Today, Whistles’ clean, cool approach to fashion is a breath of fresh air on our high streets. Its cleverly cut, versatile dresses are a failsafe for London women with varying schedules while its minimalist approach to tailoring has made Whistles the go-to shop for professionals who favour fuss-free fashion with an edge.

On the day we meet it is announced that Net-a-Porter’s Natalie Massenet will succeed Jaeger boss Harold Tillman as chair of the British Fashion Council. This, she says, is “wonderful news”. We also discuss Kate Phelan, the former Vogue editor currently filling her shoes at Topshop: “She’s a brilliant person,” says Shepherdson. A feminist and a woman’s woman, she is regularly asked to speak on the subject of women in business — earlier this year, she invited publishing house Penguin to join her in staging a dinner that celebrated inspiring women.

“I’m always surprised by women who say they’re not feminists,” says Shepherdson. “Feminism is not about not shaving under your arms, it is about being equal to men. I’m gobsmacked by any woman who doesn’t think herself an equal.”

Shepherdson is the lone female crusader in a world packed with the men she refers to as the “alpha males”. She lives in Islington with a dog called Dexter and her husband, a human rights lawyer. She has no plans to buy a yacht.

Is she intimidated by her peers? A former employee of Topshop boss Sir Philip Green, Shepherdson has inside knowledge when it comes to understanding how our retail giants operate. “I don’t think about them,” she says. “It’s an alpha male world — but aren’t most industries?”

In a female-dominated industry in which only five per cent of its board members are women, her unofficial role as British fashion’s greatest feminist is crucial, particularly when it comes to finding jobs for its most talented female members. Of the 65 members of staff employed at Whistles HQ only six are men, making Whistles one of the most female-dominated companies in the capital.

“I wouldn’t deliberately say ‘I’m choosing this person because she is a woman’ but I guess that has been the case. It’s a cliché, I know, but I’ve always found women to be really hardworking. They can do lots of things at once, they’re really passionate and we’re on the same wavelength.”

Where Shepherdson is concerned, women are simply better at making clothes for other women. It’s that simple. “The women we employ love clothes. They want to wear it. If they want to wear it, they have a view of it. The success of what we do is close to their hearts.”

There’s certainly the appetite for her approach. Since the early days of Shepherdson’s era at Whistles, what has set the brand aside from its competitors is the immediate affection it gained from the fashion industry. Quick to catch on to its low-key approach, women used to shopping at Céline and Louis Vuitton were spending in Whistles. This was a London brand that understood the needs of London women like no other shop on the high street.

An advocate of female design, Shepherdson’s own wardrobe features clothes by Phoebe Philo, Stella McCartney and Miuccia Prada, who she says are all “absolutely incredible”. “They make clothes I want to wear, clothes I feel powerful and strong in.”

This isn’t to discredit male designers — Shepherdson counts Christopher Kane and Markus Lupfer among her many London-based favourites — but to acknowledge that a man’s approach to design is different. “Women design the clothes women actually want to wear, men design for a fantasy of a woman.”

She believes this is why we have so many men filling the top jobs in fashion at the moment. From Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel to Hedi Slimane at YSL and Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton, there’s no escaping the fact that women remain under-represented in the luxury fashion sector. “Of course there are a lot of men in the big houses but that’s because so much of what they sell is red carpet and some women want to be a fantasy for that sort of occasion. It is different when it comes to something you want to wear every day. It is here that Whistles comes into its own.”

While Shepherdson isn’t a great fan of plans — “you have to allow the customer to dictate,” she says — her initial vision for Whistles was to create a contemporary fashion label that was streamlined, sporty and, importantly, very chic. It was a risky undertaking. Not only had Shepherdson invested her own money in the label, she had taken on a major restoration project during a period in which British retail was at its lowest point in decades. Six months after her arrival at the brand the company’s backers — Icelandic bank Glitnir — went under. “It was a very stressful time,” she admits. “There were times when it looked like it might not work. You can’t be arrogant in this business.”

Four years on and Whistles is thriving. After a bumpy start, the task Shepherdson thought would take 18 months has at last been realised. Thanks to a boost in equity — a result of the deal with the Icelandic government, which now owns less than 10 per cent of the business — the brand is looking to expand internationally as well as in the UK. A major concession will open in Printemps in Paris in December while stores are planned for St Petersburg and Moscow.

Breaking America is next on the list. To coincide with this period of growth, the brand will also present its recently launched premium collection at London Fashion Week this weekend. This is a development Shepherdson considers essential if Whistles is to succeed on an international level.

Whistles’ positioning as a British brand is important to Shepherdson. “I think what we do epitomises British chic. We don’t have the desire to look completely groomed in the way that the French and Americans do. We’re a laid–back breed of dressers and we’re far more experimental.”

Jane Shepherdson’s tips for what to wear this winter

TOP BUYS

Cropped skinny jeans. “An essential,” says Shepherdson, “you just have to have them.”

A Varsity jacket. Whistles is offering a customisation service — get yours with your initals attached.

A printed silk shirt. Set to stick around for another season, and then some.

A slouchy cashmere jumper. “It’s all about proportions” — wear one with a boxy pencil skirt.

TOP SHOPS

COS. “I think it’s great, although I know it’s a little scary for some.”

Zara. “They do an amazing job at predicting the next big thing.”

Sandro. “They do the ‘French chic’ thing so well. What we do is British and very different.”

TOP DESIGNERS

Christopher Kane. “His last collection was incredible. He’s a real talent.”

Roksanda Ilincic. “Her brand is niche. It’s really tightly controlled but she gets it spot on every time.”