Backing British and exclusive entries: John Lewis adds 100 fashion brands to range

John Lewis is doubling down on fashion. The British department store has confirmed it is expanding its clothing range through the addition of over 100 brands this year, a strategy that has been further enhanced by a collaboration with the British Fashion Council (BFC).

At the crux is the intention to create a “carefully curated range that offers customers something different”, with premium brands and products serving as an integral part of this plan. As such, the team has set out to find quality brands, both emerging and established, that resonate with customers in both men’s, women’s, children’s, footwear and accessories.

Speaking on the latest additions, Rachel Morgans, who was appointed as director of fashion in May 2024, told FashionUnited: “In retail, you’ve got to ask ‘what’s going to make customers cross the road to us?’ Our fashion and beauty offer is key to this, which is why we’re carefully curating a premium quality range that offers customers something different.

“When it comes to brands, we’re not chasing numbers, but focusing on those that appeal to our customers and offer something new. By mixing big hitting premium options, like Vivienne Westwood, with soon-to-be favourites and upcoming names from the industry, we’ve got a really exciting mix and we’re backing British talent.”

Rejina Pyo collaboration bolsters lineup as part of BFC partnership

Among the names on the lineup are that of Sessun, Second Female and JS John Smedley, while Alohas and Vivienne Westwood will bolster the accessories division. New additions to womenswear include Akyn, Iro and By Malene Birger, and in menswear, Snowpeak and Nigel Cabourn are set to launch.

An exclusive 25-piece collection with Mulberry is also on the cards, as is an upcoming collaboration with South Korean designer Rejina Pyo, which comes as an expansion of John Lewis’ partnership with the BFC, through which the retailer has already stocked Awake Mode. Pyo’s 35-piece line features ready-to-wear, handbags and accessories, John Lewis reveals, and will run for two seasons, akin to the format of Awake’s, which is now entering its second season.

The expanded reliance on fashion comes as part of a wider investment underway at John Lewis, which, earlier this month, announced a multi-million pound investment in its beauty division. The retailer had also revealed a new, owned menswear brand, J. Lewis, which will sit alongside its existing JL womenswear label, said to be going from strength to strength.

J. Lewis’ launch, and the more recent addition of 100 new brands, contributes to John Lewis’ efforts to build up its fashion range, which is comparatively new when looking at its homeware selection. For executive director Peter Ruis, who re-joined the company early last year to oversee its transformation, the plan is to double the retailer’s fashion business, for which he had previously said there was already a lot of momentum.

“We’re just driving more excitement into the brand. I think we’ve got the trust [of consumers] and the sense that the people’s John Lewis is back, and now we’re layering on excitement,” he told Drapers in July.