Remember Damson Madder’s Viral Leopard Print Jeans? Well, They’re Now Half Price In The Sale

It's hard to find anything positive to take from the death of the high street. With shopping increasingly carried out online and rising costs of rent, many brands have had to close their doors for good. This has meant, however, that there's a gap to be filled and, thanks to the (largely) free marketing tool that is social media, independent labels have been able to emerge. Damson Madder is one such brand and, in many ways, it's defied the odds to become a roaring success.

If you're not already familiar with the brand, it's full of pieces in playful prints (namely leopard) and high-quality fabrics, all of which are produced responsibly and in small batches. Damson Madder's founder is Emma Hill, who worked at many fashion brands for years before growing increasingly disillusioned with the bad practices she saw. As a result, she decided to launch her own responsible label, producing clothes which people would really want to wear without the same devastating environmental impact. She's succeeded, despite launching during a pandemic.

And now, with an iconic Damson Madder piece currently at half price in the Black Friday sale - the Rafe Pant (leopard print of course) - there's never been a better time to acquaint yourself with the brand's ethos-meets-elegance approach as Hill describes. These cool trousers fuse a relaxed silhouette with a bold leopard print that simultaneously feels chic and avant-garde, and are ready to be styled with a simple knit or bold blouse.

Shop: Damson Madder On-Sale Leopard Trousers

Damson Madder's fans clamour to get their hands on new collections, which has translated into great business for Hill and her female team, who all operate out of the brand's studio in North London. 'As a relatively new brand, we have had a community who have been with us from the very beginning, but it’s also been so exciting in the last 12 months to see so many new customers engaging and buying into the brand,' Hill says. 'I think [our customer] is fashion forward but also conscious in their buying habits, wanting to invest in quality garments that will stand the test of time.  We aren’t hyper trend-oriented and focus more on fit and detailing.'

You might think that this would lead to extortionate prices. Part of the label's appeal, however, lies in its accessible prices, which is partly why it's been such an attractive prospect for stockists like Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Harvey Nichols. Coupled with the fact that pieces tend to sell out fairly quickly, it's no surprise Damson Madder feels like a safe bet.

One of the most popular pieces, Hill says, has been the Leopard Cargo Jeans. '[They] have had the most outstanding reaction.  We launched them for the first time as part of our Pre-Fall 23 collection in late August last year, and they were an instant bestseller.  Since then, they have gained such incredible momentum across social media - I think driven in part by the fact they have been picked up by so many influencers and styled in so many different and inspiring ways.  We have since repeated the style several times, but cannot seem to keep up with demand!  I think part of the appeal is the cut of the jean - such an easy, relaxed fit for all body types.'

Another popular iteration of the Damson Madder jeans was the Dion Jeans, the dark version of the leopard print jeans which sold out immediately. Now, the brand has restocked the viral jeans - and just in time for autumn.

Shop: Damson Madder Leopard Print Jeans

Shop: More Damson Madder

Hannah Banks-Walker is Grazia's head of fashion commerce. She has previously written for the likes of Harper's Bazaar, The Financial Times, Glamour, Stylist, The Telegraph, Red, i-D and The Pool on everything from fashion to curly hair (hi!) to the patriarchy. Not necessarily in that order. Find her on Instagram and Twitter. But please don't look for her MySpace profile, which until now was the last time she wrote about herself in the third person.