About Us
Our Story
OD's Designer Clothing was founded by Chris O'Dea in 1992, starting life as a menswear independent in St Helens town centre. Over 34 years, what began as a single-brand focus has grown into one of the North West's most respected multi-brand designer clothing destinations — still independently owned, still rooted in St Helens, and still on Barrow Street.
The store has been based at its current address at 44 Barrow Street for over a decade, sitting adjacent to St Helens Town Hall in the heart of the town centre. In that time, St Helens retail has changed significantly — national chains have come and gone, shopping habits have shifted, and the high street has faced pressures that have reshaped towns across the country. OD's has remained. Not by standing still, but by continuing to evolve — expanding the brand mix, building an online presence that competes with national retailers, and maintaining the kind of personal service that larger operations simply cannot replicate.
That continuity means something. The customers who came in during the early years now bring their children and grandchildren. Three generations of St Helens families have shopped at OD's — and that depth of relationship is not something that happens by accident. It is built through trust, through consistency, and through genuinely caring about the product you put in front of people.
What We Stock
OD's Designer Clothing carries an authorised selection of designer menswear and womenswear from Hugo Boss, Belstaff, Parajumpers, Gran Sasso, Jacob Cohen, Valentino, Sandbanks, On Running and Reprimo, alongside Vivienne Westwood handbags, scarves and jewellery.
The brand mix is not accidental. Every brand on the shop floor has been chosen deliberately — for quality, for longevity, for how it sits alongside the rest of the range, and for how it serves the OD's customer. Brands that do not meet that standard do not make it through the door. Brands that do are supported properly, with depth of stock, trained staff, and product knowledge that goes beyond what you will find in a department store or an online marketplace.
All brands are held on an authorised stockist basis, meaning every item is sourced directly through official brand channels. There are no grey market purchases, no parallel imports. What you buy at OD's is exactly what the brand intended you to receive.
How We Buy
The OD's buying process is hands-on and deliberate. Buyers Mike and Jo select stock directly — attending trade shows, working with brand representatives, and making buying decisions based on a genuine understanding of what OD's customers want. That means seasonal ranges are chosen with care rather than simply ordering from a catalogue, and it means the shop floor reflects considered curation rather than bulk purchasing.
Every item that comes through the door is quality-checked in-store by Les and Helen before it reaches the shop floor. Sizing, construction, finishing — anything that does not meet the standard expected of premium designer product is identified and dealt with before it reaches a customer. This step is not standard practice in retail at this level. At OD's it is non-negotiable.
The same process applies online. Every product listed on odsdesignerclothing.com has been physically checked by a named team member. That is documented on the product page. When you buy from OD's online, you are buying stock that has been through the same verification process as everything on the shop floor.
Independent Retail in St Helens
There is a real difference between shopping at an independent and shopping at a chain. At a chain, the range is set centrally, the staff are trained to a script, and the product knowledge extends as far as the swing tag. At OD's, the people on the shop floor know the brands, know the product, and know the customers. That knowledge has been built over decades — not transferred from a training manual.
Being independent also means being accountable in a way that national retail is not. When something is wrong, there is no head office to escalate to and no complaints procedure to navigate. There is Chris, and there is the team, and there is a reputation in St Helens that has been built over 34 years. That accountability shapes everything — how stock is chosen, how customers are served, and how problems are resolved.
OD's has no interest in competing with fast fashion or volume retail. The customer who shops at OD's is buying something that will last, from a store that stands behind what it sells, in a town that the business has been part of for over three decades.
Visit Us
- Address: 44 Barrow Street, St Helens, WA10 1RY
- Phone: 01744 730985
- Location: Adjacent to St Helens Town Hall, within walking distance of St Helens Central train station and town centre car parks