John Lewis to launch first own brand denim lifestyle brand for women
John Lewis is to launch its first in-house denim lifestyle brand for women as it looks to accelerate growth in its own brand fashion sales.
Due to launch on 22 March, the AND/OR brand has been created in collaboration with LA based denim specialists Calvin Rucker. The retailer will also sell a range of womenswear, shoes, accessories and lingerie to compliment the denim clothing.
The 90 piece range will initially be available online and in 15 shops with items featuring denim washes combined with finishes such as busted-out seams, distressing, bleaching and frayed hems. The different denim styles have been named after places in LA that inspired the collection.
The new collection follows the launch of John Lewis’s first luxury ready-to-wear range, Modern Rarity, last September. The launch helped the retailer’s own-brand womenswear sales to increase by 6.8% in the last financial year.
Jo Bennett, head of womenswear buying at John Lewis, said: “Having built a portfolio of powerhouse own-brand labels over the past few years, we felt there was something missing when it came to serving a younger woman.”
Iain Ewing, John Lewis head of design for womenswear and accessories, added: “This is the first time we have launched a brand across ready-to-wear, accessories, shoes and lingerie. Although the brand starts with denim, you can then add to this to create a fully versatile collection which serves a modern wardrobe.”
The AND/OR denim range will be priced from £85 to £120 while the AND/OR collection will start at £22 for a cotton tee to £250 for a leather jacket.
