Menswear retailer Skopes’ repertoire is constantly growing with new stores popping up across Yorkshire, but the core values of the company supporting local charities remain.
Skopes – one of the UK’s leading and longest- established menswear brands – has recently opened two new stores at the White Rose Centre in Leeds and York Designer Outlet. The York opening marks the 21st bricks-and-mortar store from the company.
Skopes was established in Leeds in 1948 by Sydney Cope, and is now run by his grandson, Simon Cope. The brand was born when Sydney set up two manufacturing productions near Sheepscar Interchange and on Coal Road where he would sell bespoke trousers to wholesalers. The factory produced trousers using fabrics from Yorkshire mills and quickly became renowned for its twills and corduroy from Hebden Bridge.
In stores and online today, customers can expect a full range of suiting, shirts, footwear, and accessories in a range of styles, sizes, and colours – with sizing up to a 62-inch chest. There’s also a range of smart-casual wear on offer, including blazers and outerwear. So, whether you’re looking for an outfit for a special occasion or just want to elevate your everyday wardrobe, Skopes has got you covered.
As part of its commitment to sustainability, Skopes is working with sustainable clothes sourcing group Lyfcycle to tackle fast fashion. The brand has produced a range of eco-suits, made from recycled plastic. In each suit, 45 recycled plastic bottles will be used. The suits launched in 2020 and since then the eco range has led to over 1.5 million plastic bottles being recycled to create the polyester content for the suits. As part of Skopes’ ongoing commitment to transparency, you can track the entire supply chain of each suit by scanning its QR code, allowing you to see its journey from raw material to finished product.
CEO Simon Cope believes that a business should be about much more than just making money. He tells us: “A business has to have soul; it has to look after its staff and give back to the community. In my mind, it’s more than a clinical entity and it needs a level of conscience.
“Family values are incredibly important to us, and we love to make our staff feel appreciated. Before COVID we celebrated a guy who’d been with us for 50 years! We threw him a little party and bought him a Rolex watch that was engraved from the family. It’s so vital to big up the staff and their longevity, it’s them who make the company.”
Simon and the Skopes team are passionate about supporting the community, with the company helping several charities across Leeds including the Motor Neurone Disease Association, The Zone, PhysCap, Leeds Jewish Welfare Board (LJWB), Homeless Street Angels, and St Gemma’s Hospice. Skopes has sponsored the Hospice’s Winter Ball for the last two years and has donated a van for the retail team to use.
Its continued generosity helps the hospice to provide high quality care for those at the end of their life and their families across Leeds. From connecting the charity to potential supporters to helping it make the Winter Ball one of the key events in the Leeds calendar, Skopes has played a pivotal role in the vital fundraising.
Kerry Jackson, Chief Executive of St Gemma’s Hospice, commented: “Skopes have very generously been supporting St Gemma’s Hospice for the past two years. They have been a great advocate of the work of the hospice and supported us in our fundraising, particularly through its sponsorship of our Winter Ball. It is only thanks to the support of companies, like Skopes, that we can continue to be here for local patients at the end of their lives. We are very grateful for their continued support, and it’s been great to be there to support them in the opening of their new flagship store.”
Deputy CEO of LJWB, Becky Teiger, tells us about Simon’s work with the charity over the last six years: “Simon has generously supported our unique subsidised travel service, reducing the life-threatening impact of social isolation and improving wellbeing for over 50 members of our community. His support has enabled the purchase of two adapted vehicles for people with mobility and access issues – allowing us to offer over 200 journeys this year alone – enabling our service users to attend the MAZCC where they can access a wide range of classes, therapeutic activities, and subsidised meals.
“His generosity is also demonstrated through contributions to our Family Support team, providing one-to-one support for our most vulnerable families alongside our culturally specific daily learning and development activities for under-fives and their families. Without Simon’s ongoing support we wouldn’t be unable to offer our inclusive art group or our holiday and teatime clubs, which enable families to enjoy valuable social time, a warm meal, and peer support.”
Elizabeth Bradbury, CEO of LJWB, says: “Simon’s ongoing financial support has profoundly changed lives in our community, providing critical resources and opportunities that have empowered individuals and strengthened our collective future.”
Chairman of PhysCap, Dan Gray, also comments on Simon’s generosity: “Simon approached our charity to find out how Skopes could help us. Through becoming headline sponsor of our corporate football events, it outlined a commitment to helping children with disabilities across the region receive vital equipment they could not afford. We are so grateful to Simon and Skopes for their ongoing support allowing us to help even more families. We know how generous Simon is with many charities, and his love of giving back to the community holds no limit.”