Jigsaw, the British
fashion chain which once employed the then Kate
Middleton and the present Duchess of Cambridge, is hoping that a bit
of her ‘royal magic’ rubs off on it.
Jigsaw fashion brand owners Val
and John Robinson, who are family friends of the Middletons and even had the
latter’s daughter as their staff member, are currently going through a major
revamp.
To give the brand a princess
appeal and experience the famed ‘Kate effect’ noticeable in various parts of
the retail segment, Jigsaw has taken on board Barbara Horspool, a former
creative director at Marks & Spencer.
In 2006, when Kate Middleton was
employed at Jigsaw, she was described as a walking advert for the fashion
brand, as she would regularly wear their cardigans, floral print skirts and
dresses.
So now if the Duchess of
Cambridge decides to wear Jigsaw's clothes, which she rarely does, the ailing
company can expect a massive spurt in their sales. It may be noted Duchess Kate
just by wearing the high street brand Reiss caused its profits to double last
year.
Check: Duchess in Reiss brand
Similarly, the Duchess after
wearing Russell & Bromley Zipkin style knee-high boots (Pic)
resulted in a whopping 663 per cent rise in sales for the footwear brand. Kate
Middleton, is infact, credited with pumping up Britain's tottering economy by an
astounding £1bn, states Mintel.
Such is the power of the ‘Kate
effect’ that any outfit she chooses to wear flies off the shelf within days,
and sometimes barely minutes. A fashion insider said: "It's noticeable
that Kate used to work for Jigsaw but never wears their clothes. So this could
be described as a Get Kate operation."
Detractors of the Jigsaw opine
that it is no longer the fashion brand it used to be five years back and has
become stale and outdated. But Karen Kay, fashion commentator and royal
observer, thinks it’s ironic considering the fact that the Jigsaw owners are
Middleton’s family friends.
Kay says: “I think it's the
perfect brand for Kate at the moment. Jigsaw has well-made, nicely cut
working-wardrobe clothes. They are perfect for her lifestyle. I'm surprised we
don't see her in more of their clothes. The brand needs to re-excite their
customers – it's like being in a long marriage – but if they aim for a younger
customer they will alienate the Kates of this world."
Kay believes the ‘Kate effect’
makes Duchess Catherine "more than the Diana of her day". According
to her Princess Diana was seen more in couture, whereas “Kate
has made royal fashion accessible to everyone."
Giving credit to royal websites
online, Kay says, with blogs giving updates on Duchess Kate outfits at royal
engagements on a daily basis, has resulted in dresses being sold out almost
instantly after being worn by the Duchess.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the
Brand Consultancy Adrian Day agrees that the power of Duchess of Cambridge’s
endorsement cannot be overestimated. He says: "We see a four to seven-fold
increase in sales … For little-known makes; the effect can be much more.
(However) the better known the brand, the lesser the effect."
However, its not just the fashion
arena that the Duchess has had an impact on, even St Andrews University
where she and Prince William studied has become much more popular. According to
Poppy Dinsey founder of ‘What I Wore Today’ (WIWT) Catherine always looks
terrific and is a great ‘fashion inspiration’ for people decades older to her.
“People really respect her
clothes considering her brief: she is a classy role model, and I think everyone
wants her hair. She doesn't need to be wearing high-street brands, so does
amazing work for the British high street,” opines Poppy.
Further Poppy says: "With
the outfits she wears, she opens people's eyes to the style and quality, so
Jigsaw would be a perfect English heritage brand. But I wouldn't want to wear
her clothes. I struggle to know who is buying the clothes she wears – perhaps
people who work in the City and need to look smart every day."
Source: Independent.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment