The Interview: The Couture Club's Ross Worswick on building a Manchester-born brand with global ambition
From late-night shifts on the club circuit to landing rails in Selfridges, The Couture Club has been anything but an overnight success. What started as two friends printing tees to fill a gap in their own wardrobes has grown into a globally recognised label with a fiercely loyal community and a clear mantra: Manchester born, globally worn.
Co-founder Ross Worswick launched the brand alongside Scott Shashua with a simple frustration - he couldn’t find the pieces he wanted to wear. Over the past decade, The Couture Club has evolved from cult streetwear upstart to premium fashion player, stocked in Selfridges and Flannels while maintaining a strong direct-to-consumer engine.
In this interview, Worswick reflects on the early hustle, the financial missteps that sharpened their commercial focus, and why Manchester remains central to the brand’s DNA. He also shares what’s next, from European pop-ups to a renewed focus on "doing less but doing it better" as The Couture Club gears up for its next phase of international expansion.
The Couture Club started as a bold vision between two friends. Can you take us back to the beginning, what problem were you trying to solve when you launched the brand?
From the start, the idea was always to create pieces I actually wanted to wear but couldn’t find anywhere. I was really into fashion and working in the nightlife scene at the time, so getting dressed was a big part of my everyday life. I was constantly looking for pieces that felt a little different, but I kept coming up short. I knew exactly what I wanted to wear, it just didn’t seem to exist yet. That’s what pushed me to start creating my own pieces and eventually turn that idea into something bigger with Scott’s help.
How did your individual backgrounds shape the way you approached building The Couture Club, both creatively and commercially?
Scott saw my passion immediately, and as the entrepreneur in the relationship, he naturally helped turn that vision into a real business. What followed was an easy, natural partnership built on a shared belief in what the brand could become. Scott had already grown multiple businesses, and when we met, we instantly clicked. We balanced each other well and naturally fell into different roles, Scott leaning more into the finance and operations side, while I was focused on design and marketing in the early days. As the company has grown, we’ve both evolved, learning from each other and expanding our skills across every part of the business.
The brand has grown from a cult streetwear label into a globally recognised name. What do you think has been the key to sustaining momentum as you’ve scaled?
I think we’ve both always stayed true to our roots. Transparency between us has always been key, and we make it a point to support each other no matter what. We never force things. If something doesn’t feel right, we wait. It’s been a learning curve, with plenty of lessons and failures along the way, but every time, we’ve come back stronger. The last couple of years have seen the company grow rapidly, and that wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t taken a step back to rethink who the brand is, who our customer is, and what our product offering should be. Once we did that, the brand started to grow into something we could only have dreamed of, but we’re not stopping here. Every year is about levelling up and taking the brand even further.
Manchester has a distinct fashion and cultural identity. How has the city influenced The Couture Club’s DNA?
Manchester has always been massive for The Couture Club. Our very first shoots, back when budgets were non-existent, were all on the streets of the city. Our first events and activations, and our very first flagship store, it was all in Manchester. Opening the Trafford Centre store was huge for both of us, a real milestone that showed how far the brand had come in its early days. We were truly recognised as a Manchester brand, and for good reason. Even in recent years, the city continues to be at the heart of everything we do.
Do you think being based outside London has given you an advantage in carving out a more authentic brand identity?
Definitely. With so many amazing brands coming out of Manchester recently, it feels like the scene is at its strongest it’s ever been. When we started, the fashion world was very London-focused, which actually gave us a unique edge, just two young guys giving it a go. The love and support we’ve received from Manchester and everyone around us has been huge in helping the brand grow. That’s why one of our key ethos today is simple: we’re Manchester born, globally worn.
Where is the brand currently available to shop, and are you looking to expand third-party retail?
Currently, we operate primarily online, but we’re also stocked in luxury retailers Selfridges and Flannels. We launched in Selfridges in 2024 and Flannels in 2025, and both have been huge successes. Expansion is on the horizon, with bigger spaces planned for both stores. Our products are available both online and in-store, giving our customers multiple ways to experience the brand.
Your audience is deeply engaged and loyal. How important is community to the brand, and how do you actively listen to and build with your customer?
From the start, we’ve always had a really close relationship with our customers, and that’s been super important to us. We genuinely listen to what they want and take their feedback seriously. “Community” is a buzzword at the moment, but for us, it’s about actually engaging with our customers rather than just hosting events to check a box. We know there’s always room to improve, and we’re still learning. Scott and I are so hands-on with the brand, we get to interact directly with our customers, and that connection shapes everything we do.
What have been the biggest challenges behind the scenes as the brand has grown, and what lessons have those moments taught you as founders?
I think 2018 was a key turning point for both Scott and me. There were moments when we were doing a lot, but didn’t have as tight a grip on our finances as we thought. We were pouring loads into marketing, huge international shoots, big brand parties and having tons of fun, but it turned out we weren’t making the most money possible. We came out of it much more business-savvy, realising we sometimes needed to pull back, like, maybe sending 24 people to LA for a week to shoot a campaign wasn’t the most cost-effective move. But honestly, I don’t regret it. It was all part of the journey; it helped shape the brand going forward, and we learned so much from it.
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What was the moment you thought, "We’ve made it"?
I don’t know if we’ve had that "moment" yet, because we’re always pushing for more, but we’ve had some huge milestones that we’re incredibly proud of. Record-breaking days, being stocked in Selfridges, even going back to when we opened our Trafford Centre store, our 10-year documentary and celebrations… these moments really show how far we’ve come. For us, it’s not just about the next step; it’s about celebrating what we’ve achieved while continuing to raise the bar.
What’s next for The Couture Club?
2025 was our biggest year yet, and this year we’re focused on building on that success. International expansion is a major focus for us in 2026, and we’re kicking that off with pop-ups across Europe this year. Regards to day to day business, doing less but doing it better. We’re pushing ourselves on product development, stepping up our marketing, hosting more events, and engaging with our community even more. It’s all about levelling up and making sure every move counts.
