Fashion brand redesign:
Karen Millen had built its reputation on one thing: the cut. Precision tailoring at the upper end of the high street, with an atelier approach to design that set it apart from competitors.

But that distinction wasn’t translating. The brand was being squeezed – fast fashion pulling from below, luxury pulling from above. The visual identity and messaging didn't reflect the quality of the product. Karen Millen looked like another high-street fashion label when it needed to feel like something more considered.

Working with Beyond London, I helped redefine the brand positioning and translate it into a new visual identity, messaging framework and campaign concepts. The strategic territory – ‘democratising luxury’ – gave the brand permission to own its space between high street and premium without apologising for either.

The brand essence, ‘think perfect, create extraordinary,’ captured what made Karen Millen different: an obsession with getting things right. The visual expression followed that thinking. A refined logotype with greater precision. A shift in colour balance – a cleaner, whiter brand world with a distinctive accent colour that felt more minimal, more premium. Less clutter, more confidence.

The identity aligned brand identity with what Karen Millen atelier actually did. Bringing precision to the design system that the brand applied to its garments.

FROM: A premium high-street fashion brand under pressure, with a visual identity that undersold its design credentials.

VIA: Repositioning around ‘democratising luxury’ – owning the precision and atelier approach that made the brand distinctive.

TO: A crisp, confident brand identity and messaging framework that matched the quality of the product.

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