Warehouse unveils new look and new direction
High street retailer Warehouse has unveiled a new corporate identity and a new premium direction for next season, following the appointment of design director Emma Cook.
The brand, which began life in Mayfair in 1976, has gone back to its roots offering high end design at accessible prices. Its new approach positions Warehouse more towards the high end of the high street alongside the likes of Whistles and H&M's premium sister store Cos. Prices for the new collection range from £29 for a top to £250 for a coat, which is about a £50 increase on its former "exit" price.
The new AW16 collection
To mark the new look the brand has also unveiled a new logo featuring a sans serif, upper case typeface with the brand name followed by a full point in square brackets.
The new logo
The new positioning follows the appointment of British designer Cook last November. Cook was recruited alongside Hunter creative chief Alasdhair Willis, who is acting as brand consultant, to shake things up.
The brand feels confident the new positioning and price point will resonate with today's customer who is willing to pay more for better design and quality but it may also catch the attention of former Warehouse fans who remember its heyday from the 1980s to 1990s.
The new AW16 collection
Co-founded in 1976 by designer Jeff Banks, who went on to find fame as the co-presenter of the BBC's prime-time fashion programme The Clothes Show, Warehouse was a trailblazer of offering the designer aesthetic for high street prices.
In the mid-1980s it launched its Bymail catalogue, which became collector's items due to their stunning shoots featuring all the major supermodels of the day including Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Stephanie Seymour, Cindy Crawford and Carla Bruni.
Banks bowed out from the company following its acquisition by the Sears group. The brand changed hands a number of times subsequently and is now part of the Fresh Channel group, which also owns the Oasis chain. It operates 52 stores as well as its e-store.
