Mark Maidment is the creative director of Ben Sherman. He tells Fashion Buyer how the British heritage brand is developing after six months under new chief executive Pan Philippou
HOW HAVE THE LAST SIX MONTHS BEEN?
When Pan came on board the first thing he did was look and say, OK in eight years you've taken the brand from a shirt brand to a full lifestyle brand, but are you still king of shirts? It was really interesting to get that completely new objective view and it's been a good exercise to go back to that as our core. Being king of shirts means we have every fit and every size an abundance of colour and all the key fabrications. And that's why on the outside of the stand you can just see a wall of shirts. It's our way of making a really strong statement and sending a clear message of what we're about.
DOES THAT MEAN YOU'RE FOCUSING SOLELY ON SHIRTS?
No, we're proud of how we've developed the brand and the lifestyle element is not going to go away but when we put together the looks for the season, the shirt was the starting point and the focus.
THE STAND FEELS A BIT CLEANER THIS SEASON. ARE YOU PUSHING A NEW PERSONALITY FOR BEN SHERMAN?
Kind of. We've been all about the mod thing before, but we're turning the volume down on that. Because you know, being British can be about the Queen, cups of tea and a big red bus but it can also be about innovative thinking and creativity. And that's the Britain that Pan sees the brand reflecting, the Britain of originality, of innovation, of people like Damien Hirst. That's how our DNA will develop. It's already had an effect on the brand but I guess that's been mostly internal so far, although just looking around the stand here you can see some of it already. I don't think you would have expected Ben Sherman to have a hessian carpet a year ago.
SO HOW'S THE COLLECTION LOOKING?
The starting point is very preppy, very Ivy League. We were inspired by a lot of 1950s imagery and we've mixed that Americana persona in with the Ben Sherman handwriting. We've also pushed the categories a lot more. Like in the Harringtons, where we have six versions, including a waxed version, a poplin, a washed down twill, a sweat and a jersey.
SO IS THE COLLECTION BIGGER THIS SEASON?
No, it's actually a bit smaller. We have about 170 styles, while in the past that has been 180 or 190. We've consciously edited it down a bit but perhaps it feels broader to people because we have much clearer stories in there now. like the indigo story and khaki story. And of course there's also the Ben Sherman Modern Classics range.
IS THAT GOING WELL FOR YOU?
Yes, we're really pleased. A lot of premium accounts really wanted to stock Ben Sherman as it fits so nicely with the heritage thing going on right now. Modern Classics means we can segment the offer for those guys.Source URL: http://icip2idayusof.blogspot.com/2010/07/b-q-mark-maidment.html
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