Fashion and homeware were once two entirely separate worlds, neatly divided into the brands and stylists that dressed our bodies, and those that dressed our houses.
But today the distinction has become blurred. Fashion designers are creating interiors collections, while decorators collaborate with big-name clothing brands. On Instagram, fashion editors lust over malachite boxes, Murano glass goblets and terrazzo tiles.
This overlap isn’t entirely new. Luxury brands such as Loewe and Hermès have long dabbled in interiors, and Zara Home has been successful for the last few years. But now luxury e-commerce sites like Moda Operandi are adding permanent home decor sections while designers like Virgil Abloh are creating collections at Ikea. Culturally, fashion has always enjoyed the cachet it gains through its design associations—but now it’s making serious money from it.
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In Britain, the trend is particularly marked. On one end of the scale, there are brands revamping their brick-and-mortar stores with famous interior decorators. Mulberry has hired cult designer Faye Toogood to give its London flagship a serious facelift—and some of the resulting pieces will be available to buy from next year. Meanwhile Tod’s has recruited India Mahdavi—the mastermind behind Sketch (one of London’s prettiest bar and restaurant)—to redo its Sloane Street store.
Alongside this, we have also seen a sharp increase in the number of British fashion brands launching homeware collections. Instagram has been cited as one reason for this—as influencers promote more products from inside their own homes, labels use every means possible to make their brand identity flourish.
However, a more likely reason for this spate of fashion-homeware collections is as a response to the infamous ‘Great Retail Apocalypse’ of 2017, and the poor performances on the British high street that have followed in 2018. In a move to halt financial losses associated with two slow retail years, brands are opening themselves up to an entirely new market.
The homewares market is estimated to be worth $649 billion and it allows retailers to expand on a lifestyle their brand is already known for. And unlike industries like fashion and beauty, homeware has largely been dominated by lesser-known specialists—leaving plenty of room for new brands that are already important names.
Last month British luxury e-tailer Matchesfashion.com, launched its first Homeware Studio, —a collection that included printed crockery by Gucci and floral-print silk-satin eiderdowns by Preen. Ultimately, the company’s approach to interiors mirrors its approach to fashion, with the same buying team that oversees clothing and accessories also looking after the new home section.
“We’re selling the lifestyle for our customers. And we’ve been careful to include a wide spectrum of products and prices, from home fragrance and desktop accessories through to crockery, glassware, vases and cushions. There is definitely something for everyone,” said Natalie Kingham, fashion director at Matchesfashion.com, in an interview with the Times.
While they are currently only available online, next year they will be displayed in Matches’ soon-to-open Mayfair townhouse, a private-shopping location designed by the architect Philip Joseph, partner of the fashion designer Erdem Moralioglu.
Another British brand opening a homeware collection this year is River Island. The company has brought in Dayna Sofair, an experienced retailer and London College of Fashion graduate. Much like Zara Home, it will have standalone high street stores, and is an illustration of the brand’s shift away from New Look and Primark’s “fast fashion”.
Some competition will come from Arket—the upmarket Swedish brand under the H&M umbrella, which is now launching a kitchenware range that will debut in the UK.
All this will ruffle feathers in the UK retail world. Having a unique offering is central to luring shoppers away from high-end department stores or specialist furniture destinations—and if these collections are well made and well-priced, they could do both.
Selling homewares also poses unique challenges. Clothes are far easier to ship and are less likely to get damaged in transit, compared with fragile items like lamps or vases. Candles, for example can be subject to cross-border shipping regulations. Will retailers find this shift more costly and time-consuming than expected?
In most cases these brands are launching separate homeware stores, ensuring their clothing focus won’t be dimmed—but the fact remains that the success of their homeware lines will very much depend on how the fashion brand is perceived by the public.
