Retail guru Mary Portas is launched a womenswear concession in the London branch of House of Fraser, with store design by Brinkworth and branding and other design by Portas’ consultancy Yellowdoor.
Mary & House of Fraser, which opens today, occupies a 279m² space in the store, selling Portas’ own designs alongside collaborations with brands such as Radley and Clarks, which will bear the Mary logo on their branding and store collateral. It will also stock other fashion brands including Whistles and Max Mara.
Anthony Cassidy, Yellowdoor design director, says, ‘We aimed to create a bespoke font for Mary & House of Fraser to give it that point of difference. It needed to work with the House of Fraser branding but ultimately work across different channels for the store.
‘It’s about the brand itself and what it stands for - Mary’s ethos of femininity and creativity.’
The logo uses a ‘Y’ which curls round to fit in the other brand logos, and uses Mary’s favourite colours, orange, blue and magenta, according to Cassidy.
For the designs, three illustrators were commissioned from an open call for entries on Twitter. They were briefed to create interpretations of ‘Mary the brand’, according to a Mary Portas spokesman.
Cassidy describes the concession’s interiors as ‘experiential,’, with an exclusive lift bearing the Mary & House of Fraser branding. The fitting rooms feature a ‘moan phone’, and adjustable lighting in individual changing rooms.
Earlier this year, Portas was commissioned by the Government to lead an independent review into the future of British high street retail.
