Cath Kidston's in Print: Brilliant Ideas for Using Vintage Fabrics in Your Home

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The reopening of its flagship store in the heart of London’s West End will be the brand’s only high street store and will become an “experimental” concept to showcase the brand’s 27 years of British design and print heritage. Cath Kidston opened its first store outside of London in Bath. The retailer had its first collaboration with outdoor retailer Millets. People either love it and want a little bit of it very much, or want to stab us,” Cath Kidston herself told BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs in 2011.

However, experts have told Retail Gazette that the reasons behind Cath Kidston’s declining sales were not primarily due to the coronavirus pandemic. If anything, its problems were evident before the crisis – but the pandemic accelerated and exacerbated them. Marler told Retail Gazette that while Cath Kidston’s prints is instantly recognisable and world-famous, the print has to be authentic. After all, the iconic English retailer – launched by Cath Kidston herself in west London in 1993 – was known for using vintage fabric before designing her own unique prints. Collections were launched as seasonal. Cath Kidtson opens first flagship store in London’s Marylebone.This is a preference that can clearly be seen in the textiles and house furnishings for which she is famous. “For a long time I’ve worked with very traditional wallpaper factories here in England who do ‘surface print‘”, a method, invented in 1839 and using inked rollers, which produces a beautifully soft effect. "That kind of wallpaper printing is extraordinary. It’s probably the closest experience I’ve had in my business to fine art.” Cath Kidston as a business has seen many changes over the years, such as a new chief executive, new print designs, new collaborations, and global expansions.

We decided to reopen the London flagship store because London is important to the brand. We have a London print every season. The retailer has struggled in recent years and it states that following its restructure in April it has realigned its cost base and structure to create what it calls an “economically viable operating model as a brand-led, digital first retailer”. The eight different prints available also include imagery including the Forbidden Forest, Dobby, pixies and various pets and iconic animals like Crookshanks, Trevor the Frog, Norbert the dragon, Fawkes, Thestral and even Hedwig taking centre stage. As creative director, Marler brainstorms ideas for new brand collaborations and how to communicate them to consumers.

INTRODUCING THE CATH KIDSTON COLLECTION

After a tour, we sit down in a cheery sitting-room. It is full of trifles unconsidered – at least by others – which she begins by listing. “Paintings by my great aunt, things from boot sales and a flea market in New York. That little embroidery came from a house clearance in Stroud.” Holly Marler, who was appointed as Cath Kidston’s new creative director in October, added: “The Cath Kidston ethos is rooted in creating beautiful, functional pieces curated to bring everyday moments of joy, and that’s exactly what we’ve brought to life in 180 Piccadilly. British retailer Cath Kidston, known for its vintage prints and cutesy florals, which was saved from administration earlier this year to become a “brand-first, digital-led” retailer, has reopened its flagship Piccadilly, London store. DFS has more than 120 stores across the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain and employs over 4,000 people.

Cath Kidston appointed Kenny Wilson as chief executive. The first Cath Kidston cafe opened in Shonan, Japan. The retailer expands to Taiwan and Thailand. Around the same time she joined, Cath Kidston announced a transformation plan with a core focus on digital acceleration and global growth. Under the new model, ecommerce accounts for 85 per cent of the business. This meant the closure of all of its UK stores, and a re-alignment of its cost base and structure “to create an economically viable operating model as a brand-led, digital first retailer”. The Stargazer chaise longue in Forever will add wow factor to any space, combining a traditional shape with one of Cath Kidston’s best-known print designs, while the Poise Wing Chair in the whimsical Painted Kingdom print is the perfect addition to a nursery or children’s room.

What I like about prints is that there’s often a crispness. The older I get the more I appreciate more graphic things

Piccadilly will be open from 10am-8pm Monday-Saturday and 12pm-6pm on Sunday. The store has also been made Covid-19 secure and is operating a one-way system and has hand sanitisation stations in-store to ensure customer safety while shopping. Retailers that are very brand led have the additional overhead of in-house design and development teams – whilst in good times this gives the brand its distinguishing USP, in tough times the costs associated with maintaining these teams present additional financial pressures,” she explained.

At the time of the Covid-19 outbreak, Cath Kidston had already engaged with business turnaround consultants Alvarez & Marsal and legal firm Shoosmiths to undertake a restructure of the business. Cath Kidston Creative Director, Holly Marler, comments:s: “ Working in partnership with DFS during the last year has been a truly magical experience, Home is such as important part of the Cath Kidston brand and our heritage, it has been an absolute pleasure starting the exciting journey reigniting the brand through a new interiors launch. I am so proud to co-create a collection truly unique in pattern and colour, inspiring lovers in furniture and interiors just enhances our ethos of bringing joy through our print design. Laura Morroll, senior manager at management and technology consultancy BearingPoint, said store closures have resulted in a significant drop off in sales. Although some customers may have been successfully diverted to shopping online, the cost of online channel fulfilment significantly outweighs that of stores, eating away at profits. We were digital-first before the pandemic,” she told Retail Gazette. After graduating from St Martins, Marler travelled to Italy to work at fashion brand Jato. Cath Kidston chief executive Kenny Wilson left the to join Dr Martens. Melinda Paraie was as the new chief executive. Chief financial officer Neil Harrington also exited.For us, we’re design lead, but rather than looking at trends and making sure we follow them, I think that our trend is integral to us and is in the marketplace, which is craftsmanship and hand painting. Potions, herbology, charms and care of magical creatures are all covered, with dozens of tiny details entwined within floral prints in Cath Kidston's usual vintage style.