Men-only Floral Print

Company: John Lewis Partnership
Sector: Retail
Impact: Innovation; Brand knowledge and marketing
Sponsor: Andrew Lambert, JLP designer
Timescale: 12 months from concept to launch

Project brief

To create a ‘hot product’ for the 2009 season’s men’s fashion collection by drawing inspiration from vintage designs and patterns in the John Lewis textile archive.

Vintage may be an over-used word in fashion, but this is the genuine article.
– Sub-editor of The Gazette, John Lewis in-house magazine 2009
This is just one of the images designers are using as a starting point from which to create their designs for the future.
– Alan Cook, Cummersdale Textile Archive 2008

Business archives used by the team

  • Textile print, dated 25th January 1943, from the Cummersdale textile archive (part of John Lewis corporate archive)

Outcomes and business benefit

  • Created a limited edition premium product, retailing at £40 per shirt, for the men’s fashion market.
  • Product swing ticket explains the story behind the pattern, demonstrating to customers the product’s vintage authenticity.
  • Story of the product development used in internal sales team literature as part of marketing plan.
  • Cost of product development minimised by using in-house inspiration from the 25,000-strong textile archive.
  • The pattern has further commercial application as the inner trimmings of trousers and the inners of shoes.
  • There is a good opportunity to quickly develop a product range in response to favourable customer sales.