John Lewis has appointed former M&S and Inditex exec Queralt Ferrer as its first design director for fashion as it seeks to compete on the high street. Retail Week explores what she will bring to the table and whether she can bring the department store back into fashion
As part of its turnaround strategy, John Lewis is seeking to become “a more significant player in fashion and home”, building up its own-label brands including the value led Anyday range that launched last year.
John Lewis commercial director Kathleen Mitchell said this week that Queralt Ferrer’s appointment as design director for fashion “underlines our ambition to further raise the profile of John Lewis design and our commitment to investing in our own-brand ranges”.
Mitchell added that Ferrer “brings outstanding expertise in world-class design that will elevate the creative energy and talent we already have within the team”.
Spanish-born Ferrer started her career in fashion retail heading up womenswear for Inditex-owner brand Massimo Dutti.
The “masstige” – a term amalgamating the concepts of prestige and mass-market – brand formerly served only men, so Ferrer was recruited in 1995 from the launch of its womenswear range to drive its design direction.
She stayed with the Spanish retailer until 2012, before being drafted into a team to try to turn around Marks & Spencer’s fashion fortunes in 2013.
Alongside names such as current White Stuff chief executive Jo Jenkins and former style director Belinda Earl, Ferrer’s team was tasked with “de-frumping” the high street stalwart’s fashion division.
Now her attention is on John Lewis, will she be able to revamp its style?
‘She’s no wallflower’
Former colleague Jenkins, who was director for womenswear, lingerie and beauty while Ferrer was design director for M&S, describes hwe as a “great person to work with”.
“She’s a great character to have in the team, warm and engaging and always listens to feedback. I thoroughly enjoyed working with her,” she says.
“Often in these creative roles, true creativity can often mean compromise on other leadership qualities, but not her as she gets involved in the bigger strategic thinking and drives her team to deliver.”
Jenkins also says Ferrer’s work ethic comes from many years in the ”Inditex machine”; she is clear on the pace, organisation and vision for collections, and ensures all those around her do, too.
“Queralt reminds everyone to keep moving forward and she’s not afraid to stand up and say: ‘No, this is not right. It’s boring’”
Jo Jenkins, The White Company
Her flair for design and quality at a lower pricepoint will translate well from Massimo Dutti to John Lewis’ Anyday range, while her quick decision making will bring a new vision to life at John Lewis sooner rather than later.
Despite her creativity and keen eye, Jenkins adds that Ferrer will bring a steely resolve and sense of purpose.
“Queralt reminds everyone to keep moving forward and she’s not afraid to stand up and say: ‘No, this is not right. It’s boring. It’s boring. It’s boring,’” Jenkins adds.
“She’s no wallflower – she’ll speak up, she’s fiery and she’s not afraid to stand her ground when she knows what great product looks like.”
Challenges ahead
Jenkins describes Ferrer’s departure as a “loss” for M&S – but is it John Lewis’ gain?
In theory, yes, but both Jenkins and the founder of executive search firm MBS, Moira Benigson, say her biggest challenge will be whether John Lewis will give her the funds and freedom to make big decisions.
“If they give her a chance to grow a really good, big department then she possibly stands a chance,” says Benigson. “It’s going to be an incredibly expensive exercise because it will mean new brands, new marketing spend, new influencers.
“John Lewis is on a journey. The main thing is can they get over the culture of the past?”
Historically, John Lewis has not been the strongest on fashion but as it looks to overhaul its total business, broadening its expertise across different categories makes sense.
Jenkins wonders whether Ferrer will have access to the same supply chains and materials that she had at M&S and Massimo Dutti. If not, she is skeptical whether the funds will be made available to build up her sourcing and design teams.
While there are questons about how free a reign she will be given by John Lewis, Ferrer’s strong design background and firm leadership style indicate that she could be the ideal choice to put John Lewis’ fashion offer back on the map.
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