Doubling fashion: John Lewis to launch own menswear brand, adds third-party labels

John Lewis is looking to double its fashion business as part of a wider elevation strategy currently underway at the department store chain. To build on this, the retailer is already set to launch a new own brand in menswear and is introducing a range of new, premium third-party brands.

This is according to the company’s executive director, Peter Ruis, who said in an interview with Drapers: “I think I can double the [John Lewis] fashion business. The question, of course, is over what time period. We’ve been in homeware for 100 years. We’ve really only been in the proper fashion business for about 20 years. But we’re already now the leading seller of premium brands in the UK. The market has opened up for us.”

To expand its offering, the retailer is launching J. Lewis, a menswear brand that blends tailoring and casualwear, with an emphasis on durable fabrics and working with European mills. The label expands on its existing JL womenswear brand, which, for its AW25 collection, takes inspiration from the Highlands.

The retailer will also be growing its selection of third-party brands. For womenswear, the likes of MM – a Max Mara sub-brand –, French label Iro, Russel & Bromley and By Malene are among those being introduced. For menswear, meanwhile, Pendleton, Japan’s Snow Peak, Nigel Cabourn, Jak, Kapten and Che are set to launch.

Ruis told Drapers: “We’ve got a lot of energy behind [John Lewis fashion]. We’re just driving more excitement into the brand. I think we’ve got the trust [of consumers] and the sense that the people’s John Lewis is back, and now we’re layering on excitement.”

While acknowledging that the present day is “not the easiest environment for the consumer”, particularly with inflation rising, Ruis said that “as a business, we’re building on the long run to be a lot more profitable”. The retailer’s fashion department is currently making around 1.2 to 1.3 billion pounds in revenue a year, he noted, before stating: “I really don’t see any reason why that can’t be 2.5 billion pounds.”