John Lewis in major fashion and beauty expansion as it adds 50 new brands

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Feb 9, 2021

John Lewis on Tuesday unveiled a big expansion of its fashion and beauty offer and the fashion labels it’s adding are designed to reflect the casualisation trend that has only accelerated in the past year.

The company is “modernising” its offer across the fashion and beauty super-categories and introducing over 50 new brands. The launches started in January but have gained pace this month and will continue into April.

In womenswear, the retailer has just launched Spain’s Mango label across clothing, shoes and accessories. Banana Republic also debut this month, and it should be interesting to see the reaction to this following the Gap-owned label’s earlier retreat from its own stores in the UK. 

But in addition to well-known store names, it’s also bringing in “emerging, independent and predominantly online brands in the coming weeks and we are excited to both introduce these new collections to our customers and provide them with a nationwide platform,” it said.

The incoming labels in clothing and accessories include Ro&Zo, Kemi Telford, Johnny Urban, Nubian  Skin, Aab Collection, Honey & Toast and Aaks. All of them “offer contemporary styles that enable our customers to seamlessly move throughout their day whether they’re working or relaxing at home or walking in the park,” the retailer said.

It’s also ramping up its athlesiure offer following a 104% increase in category sales last year. It launched its new athleisure concept in August 2020 and is now adding Girlfriend Collective, Ninety Percent and New Balance to the line-up that already includes Sweaty Betty and Athleta.

Meanwhile, on the sustainability and conscious shopping front, new brands being added include Baukjen, Thought, and L&T Heirlooms.

And it’s offering “the first chance to shop Albaray, a new sustainable brand from some of the team behind Warehouse, boasting modern, effortless style for everyday wear”.

Jo Bennett, Head of Womenswear at John Lewis: "The pandemic has accelerated the casualisation of our wardrobes that was already in the making — great puffer jackets, elevated loungewear and relaxed-fit dresses, have become staples in our everyday dressing. We continue to evolve our fashion offer as our customers' lifestyles shift and the new brands we are launching have been carefully curated to boost our mood and help us dress for the way we live now”.

In menswear, the company is adding UK-made Community Clothing by Patrick Grant that has a strong ethical stance and “puts the values of supporting the sector and wider communities at the heart of the brand”. Other new-to-the-retailer labels include Arc'teryx, Rapha, Champion, and Napapijri. 

Banana Republic is also launching as part of the menswear offer, while Dickies, Rapha, and Fatface are debuting at John Lewis too.

In kidswear, it’s adding Mango Kids, Scotch & Soda, Fat Face, and AO76 to recently-launched Hugo Boss, Timberland, Billieblush, DKNY and Carrement Beau.

There’s less detail available on beauty brands, although the company said it has recently launched It Cosmetics. Further beauty launches are due later this year.