John Lewis has unveiled its most significant investment in fashion to date, launching an in-house range of 800 womenswear products.
The collection has been designed in-house by the department store chain’s design studio. It will carry the retailer’s new strapline, revealed by Retail Week last month, ‘John Lewis & Partners’.
The collection forms part of the retailer’s bid to grow a £500m own-brand fashion business. John Lewis is placing ever greater emphasis on own-brand or exclusive product and aims for 50% of sales to fall into that category by 2020.
The business is currently recruiting in-house designers and technologists to power that strategy, boosting the teams by 50% and 70% respectively.
The John Lewis & Partners collection will sit in the centre of its womenswear departments with clothing, shoes and accessories merchandised together.
The brand’s focus will be on quality materials, classic designs and bold, bright colours. Prices will range from £10 for a cotton jersey top to £250 for a cashmere coat.
The womenswear collection will launch on September 4, while menswear will launch next spring.
John Lewis fashion buying director Christine Kasoulis said: “This launch is our most significant investment in fashion to date and builds on the successful launches of our standalone brands Kin, AND/OR and modern rarity.
“It’s our next confident step in positioning John Lewis as a leading fashion destination.”
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