Clothes and nostalgia: One pastel gazebo, next-day delivery THE Boden catalogue that drops onto middle-class British doormats shows off nicely made clothes, and with them a fantasy of improbably chic families. The label, launched in 1991 by Johnnie Boden, a former banker, belongs to a robust sector of British retail dubbed "messy-posh." It combines modern style with a dash of vintage tradition and is weathering difficult retail conditions, partly by exporting its colourful creations to countries from Germany to Japan. Some 57% of the company's sales are abroad. Some think that the enthusiasm for updated classics is linked to the export success of TV and film dramas like "Downton Abbey" and "Gosford Park." Jaana Jatyri, of the Trendstop forecasting consultancy, adds that the popularity of the Duchess of Cambridge has been useful in boosting awareness of classic British style. Boden's second-largest market after Britain is America, where it now turns over £93m ($149m) a year, well ahead of turnover in the euro zone (£45m). Newer entrants are also faring well. Joules, based in a small town in Leicestershire, merchandises "British country heritage" like wellington boots and hunting fashion. It has seen sales jump by 23% in the first half of the financial year, and is opening a clutch of domestic stores after expanding into continental Europe and South Korea. Ms Jatyri says such businesses create strong loyalty in their customers - most online shoppers use only five or so outlets regularly. Technology is a useful ally. Algorithms enable online companies like Boden to check daily what is selling and to adjust orders from suppliers without the cumbersome business of moving stock around shops. Smartphones are also a market stimulus. Around a fifth of purchases in target markets for companies like Boden are now made from a mobile phone rather than a fixed computer, says PricewaterhouseCoopers, a consultancy. But the rise of online retailers like Amazon and America's Zappos is a challenge. Customers are keen to get their goods the next day, but less keen on paying for postage, which trims profit margins. Whereas Boden has fought shy of capital-intensive shop openings, the Cath Kidston clothes and accessories label, which sells traditional prints on everything from gazebos to mobile-phone covers, is expanding stores after being bought by a private-equity company. It is about to open a flagship shop in London, but its biggest new market is Asia, where it has over 50 shops in countries ranging from Japan to China to Thailand. Growth for the messy-posh sector looks like happening far away from the rural British shires that first inspired it.