Sharp outfit

Fashion has had an incredible 12 months. A dramatic new refit, launched at John Lewis Cardiff, and exciting new product – whether it's own brand developments or new labels – have meant that John Lewis has considerably strengthened its sense of style.

It's been a long slog, but Peter Ruis, Buying Director, Fashion, went into fashion retailing after a friend suggested that he could 'work with his hobby', and his enthusiasm hasn't waned.

'I always wanted to work in a department store,' says Ruis, who joined John Lewis four years ago, 'and I thought that John Lewis looked the most interesting and had the most potential to change. John Lewis was amazing in many ways but, particularly from a fashion point of view, there was a lot I felt I could do.'

And a lot he's done. Although womenswear is the biggest part of the Fashion directorate, it also covers jewellery, shoes, childrenswear, beauty, menswear, sportswear, nursery and toys.

Fashion has increased its share of John Lewis sales, with Fashion Online – the directorate's revamped presence on johnlewis.com – adding considerably to its success.

2010 will see more exclusive brands and a new tool called Mylook, which, says Ruis, 'allows people to browse and create their own look.'

Meanwhile the fashion refit goes from strength to strength: Cheadle's has just been completed, Welwyn's opens mid-March while work starts in Oxford Street in the spring and in Peter Jones in September.

'The refit is pivotal in changing the perceptions of customers and suppliers in how we do fashion,' says Ruis, who adds that if Cheadle and Welwyn are successful, it will be rolled out to more branches.

But why the change? 'We needed to have some fun,' he says, 'so the chandelier in the jewellery department or the sculptural-art mannequin in the designer area make people think, 'Do you know what? There's something going on here'.'

Brand news

It's taken a while to convince bigger womenswear labels to come to John Lewis, but Peter and his team are gradually bringing in the brands – over 200 in fact, from the quirky French label Paul & Joe Sister to Ted Baker and Reiss and high street stalwarts such as Mango and Oasis.

So how were they convinced? '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 – particularly with international brands who do not understand us,' Ruis explains.

'But 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.'

As a result, John Lewis's customers have changed. For example, womenswear customers are more likely to shop with us from aged 30 rather than 40. 'But women have really changed the way they live now so age is almost negligible,' says Ruis. 'There are some very funky 50-year-olds and maybe more conservative 30-year-olds.'

Meanwhile, the menswear customer, he says, is part of 'a generation that has grown up with fashion magazines and has grown up not to be embarrassed by fashion.' Menswear has responded by bringing in bigger and better brands such as Ralph Lauren.

Vitally, menswear has started to take a share of wallet from John Lewis's EHT customers. 'You need standout products so that customers think, 'I'm in John Lewis, I love the service, I love the brand and I like Ralph Lauren – so I'll buy it here'. It's getting the brand quality and the fashion credibility. Once you have the two together, nothing can stop us.'

Grow your own

And while branded product is coming on a storm, Ruis says that own brand is 'unrecognisable' from three years ago. 'Own brand is our single fastest growing brand. We have established it in every single buyership and there isn't an area where I can genuinely say it's not working.'

In womenswear and menswear, new collaborations with print designer Celia Birtwell and made-in-Britain menswear designer Joe Casely-Hayford have produced exclusive ranges that are tailored to appeal to John Lewis customers.

Own brand accounts for much of childrenswear, an area that is vital, says Ruis, in attracting aspirational thirtysomethings. 'Our customers tend to have their babies in their early 30s and that's a re-introduction to John Lewis for a lot of customers. If they love the kidswear they stay with us and, for fashion, that's really important.

'Our own-brand kidswear is incredible,' he says. 'It has gone from being one of the slowest parts of the assortment to one of the fastest, and has actually been the highest growth area within John Lewis over the last two years.'

Ker-chung

Own brand handbags and shoes are selling well, along with the 'Made in Italy' own-brand jewellery range. So how did the change come about? 'We wanted to create a John Lewis brand that would be the best. And the best means we don't compromise,' says Ruis. Roughly translated, buyers start not with a price point but with an idea of what they would like to see in a product.

'There are certain rules about how we stitch things whatever the price,' says Ruis. 'For example, every t-shirt must have a tape over the seam at the back of the neck. And I want buyers to look at the hardware on bags and if a zip feels cheap, then I want them to upgrade it.'

But perhaps the one product that has shown how far John Lewis has come is the Alexa bag by Mulberry. Named after the TV presenter and style icon, Alexa Chung, it is the 'it' bag of the moment. At £695, it costs a lot of money but it's flown out of the door.

'It's our single fastest-moving stock item,' says Ruis. 'Mulberry is now very much a John Lewis brand because it's fashionable, made in Britain and timeless.'

And Ruis has another fashion role. He is Chairman of Graduate Fashion Week, which is a showcase of the UK's best up-and-coming talent. He is a member of a mentoring group – which includes the Buying Director of Asda and the Creative Director of Pringle – which helps and advises prizewinners.

Part of this is to help them find work experience, which can result in bringing bright young talent into the business. 'One graduate, Emily Bell, did a work placement on nursery and now she's a Partner,' says Ruis. 'It's very hard to find nursery designers, but Emily's got a real eye for that kind of product.' Something that Ruis most definitely appreciates.