Fashion is making a statement at John Lewis, with sales showing double-digit increases and the department store bringing in new brands and collaborations from top British designers.
Highlights for Autumn/Winter 2010 include new collections from print designer Celia Birtwell and made-in-Britain menswear designer Joe Casely-Hayford, as well as a range of men's formalwear by Savile Row tailor Richard James, a European exclusive. There will also be plenty of new labels joining the assortment: Mint Velvet, G-star, Diesel and BZR from Bruuns Bazaar, as well as Henry Holland's range of Pretty Polly tights.
The fashion revamp at John Lewis has taken place under buying director Peter Ruis, who says the Partnership's unique structure helped him and his buying teams convince major international fashion labels to come to John Lewis. 'Obviously the business is doing well and brands want to be part of that success, but a lot of it has been explaining what we do,' says Ruis. 'When you tell them there are 70,000 Partners who own the business they are just blown away by that. And that can make us sound a bit eccentric, a bit quirky and different, and those values are great for fashion.'