What do you think of when you think of John Lewis? Reliable electricity. Kitchenware. Sparkling makeup counters. Keep all those thoughts going because the country’s best-known department store with everything under one roof has set out to become the store we women think of when we think of fashion, with a capital F.
In fact, fashion lovers are starting to take the country’s beloved store quite seriously (appointments with personal stylists are up 26 percent, and there’s at least one fashion editor who swears by its service). Times are changing at John Lewis.
The two women driving this change are Queralt Ferrer, design director responsible for the brand for two years, and Rachel Morgans, who was appointed fashion director in May.
Together they are turning the reliable (and once again “never knowingly underrated”) John Lewis into a place where, as Morgans says, “you can get your plates and cups, and then explore the Barbour and Mango or Sister Jane bars” – or Whistles. , Hush or NRBY – the list goes on.
Queralt Ferrer, design director, and Rachel Morgans, fashion director, are the driving force behind John Lewis’ recent success.
Over the past year, they’ve introduced 109 new brands, and that’s not counting the store’s three in-store labels or the new collaboration with avant-garde London designer AWAKE Mode.
Morgans, in a tailored black AWAKE jacket that looks straight off a London Fashion Week runway, and Ferrer (belted tweed jacket, midi skirt and lug-soled boots) are part of a velvet revolution at John Lewis.
“I think the customer wants to fall in love with something,” says Morgans, “so it’s important that we have those special things that you can’t find anywhere else.” And the amazing thing about John Lewis is that we sell a £10 t-shirt and a £110 t-shirt. So we will not stray from our hearts. “We are expanding our customer base.”
I had always assumed that their basic Any Day range, which never exceeds £100, was useful for those £10 t-shirts, and that’s it. But this fall’s offering includes a gray wool scarf jacket (crew neck with an attached swagger scarf in the same fabric) that looks fresh and smart for £69, and a stylish, long black vest What could you use with the tag? gray tailored relaxed pants (both £45) to make a modern outfit for the office.
John Lewis’s gray wool scarf jacket (crew neck with an attached swagger scarf in the same fabric) looks fresh and smart for an extraordinary £69, writes Shane Watson.
Its And/Or range, based on denim and what Ferrer describes as “a kind of Los Angeles vibe”, includes a elegant tan suede midi skirt (£199), and included a beautifully proportioned dark tan suede trench coat (£399) until it sold out within weeks. Quite a revelation.
Finally, there is the jewel in the crown, the John Lewis label – their classic collectible range. Fast-selling highlights range from a Camel double-breasted scarf-type coat (£179) and burgundy leather loafers (£79), at a Cashmere crewneck cardigan in that on-trend ice pink (£95), and a Olive Green Cashmere Crew Neck Sweater (£89). These are the best colors and shapes in knitwear I’ve seen on the high street so far, and their cashmere sales are up 36 percent year on year.
The John Lewis brand includes this cashmere cardigan, in the pink tone of the moment
Neither woman is surprised when the John Lewis customer wears pink-on-olive cashmere, Prada style, and rushes to buy a suede trench coat at a higher price. “She’s bold,” Ferrer says, “and she’s willing to pay a little more if she knows she’ll have something forever.”
Great quality at a great price is a big part of their mission statement. “The John Lewis brand is about those perfect, modern, timeless pieces that you can build up over the years and coordinate easily,” says Ferrer. “Good cuts, quality fabrics, durable garments that you will enjoy wearing year after year.”
This navy blue cape cardigan from John Lewis looks like it came from a high-end Danish brand.
A lot of attention has also been paid to details. TO navy blue cape cardigan (£55) has silver buttons that look like something you’d find on a high-end Danish label. Add a couple of your extreme wide leg black pants (£99) and a clean burgundy bag with shiny gold hardware (£79), all John Lewis brand, and you’ll look as stylish as a Scandinavian fashion influencer – that is, stylish, modern and expensive.
It is a change that bears comparison with the enthusiasm of Marks and Spencer during the same relatively recent period. Are the design bosses aware that they will be going head to head with the country’s other beloved brand?
‘Does it have to be a rivalry?’ Morgans says. ‘What they do is great. There is room for both and the customer should be able to choose.’
Ultimately, they say, it’s about trust. The plan is to give us more and better, and for now my money is on that pink cardigan.
