Green Room - Britishness and Nationalism in Retail Design

© Green Room 2016 1
How Brands use
Britishness and National
Pride at Retail_
National culture is a fluid and ever-evolving concept,
deeply linked to history and national character.
This review looks at how different brands choose to use
their nationality as part of their brand character and
personality, and how this influences their retail design.
The starting point for the review is Britishness, in all
its guises. From heritage, craft and quality, to how
Britishness can also be surprising and irreverent.

© Green Room 2016
Quintessentially British
These brands convey a sense of classic British
heritage and nationalism.
Some shout about it, while for others it’s subtly
woven into their DNA. In each case, the brands rely
on the associations with deep, rich British character.

Brooks England
1.0 Quintessentially British
_
Hailing from the West Midlands, Brooks
England’s heritage dates back to 1866.
Their advertising and brand styling strongly
reference this illustrious history.

Brooks England
The brands commitment to
original crafting processes and
materials supports it’s feeling of
heritage and place.
In addition to the vintage feel of
their brand communications,
the materials and details used
in their environments and
POS displays in concessions
support the connection to British
craftsmanship.
_

Twinings
Britishness and tea drinking have always gone hand in hand.
The brewing ritual is part of the national identity.
Twinings embrace their rich heritage and sense of place in British
society, but it does not stop them from also expressing themselves using
very modern graphics and language, marrying the two points of view
successfully.
_

Twinings
The Twinings store at 216 The Strand
celebrates the history and heritage of the
brand from its original location.
A small museum documents the history
of the brand from its 1706 foundation,
underlining it’s heritage and experience,
whilst a tea bar for sampling and tasting
experiences reflect it’s modern approach
and techniques.
_

Selfridges
Selfridges holds a place as an icon of British culture. The
architecture, service and grandeur of the experience underline
this and evoke its heritage and frame the experience.
The brand delivers this more directly in an irreverent fashion, using
humour and a light-hearted approach to its own image.
Selfridges create a counterpoint to this expectation through highly
modernist experiences such as the Fragrance Lab and Water bar.
_

Selfridges
In addition to the association with their history, Selfridges build their sense of Britishness through
their support of British design talent.
Initiatives and campaigns such as the annual “Bright Young Things” use the superb canvas of
the Selfridges window displays to champion the next generation of British talent.
Selfridges stretched this further in 2015 with the “Bright Old Things” that celebrated the older
British generation embracing design in their retirement.
_

Burberry
Burberry’s brand story and relationship to British culture is one
of subversion and reinvention. When their signature pattern
was adopted by a rather brash element of society, Burberry
ditched the pattern and looked to reinvent themselves.
Through subtle brand associations with icons of British style
and muted campaigns celebrating the richness of British
culture, Burberry gained a position as masters of modern
British sophistication.
_

Burberry
Burberry’s flagship store is a celebration of British design
and craftsmanship, offering a dynamic and luxurious brand
environment.
Technology has been woven through the period architecture of
the building to enhance the shopping experience and engage
customers with the product, creating a modern perception of the
brand.
_

© Green Room 2016
Irreverently British
Sometimes focussed around an individual character
and sometimes running through their whole
personality, these brands reflect a cheekier, more
raucous element of the British nature.
Witty, challenging and political, these brands
proudly ignore British civility.

Marmite
2.0 Irreverently British
_
Though originally discovered by a German and named after a French
pot, Marmite has become a symbol of British food and social culture
recognised the world over.
It’s polarising taste has been the fuel for many of it’s campaigns with it’s
underlying association with the eccentric British nature. The brand subtly
references it’s British heritage through activations such as the Ministry of
Marmite.

Marmite
_
Marmite use their eccentric brand nature
to create entertaining activations e.g. the
Marmasaurus to engage their customers and
build a tribal following for the brand.
The brand achieves a strong link between the
physical representation and the alive digital
representation of their brand. For example they
recently used a social media innovation to bring
to life their polarising brand mantra, with a ‘pay
by sentiment’ café, using twitter handle data to
gauge an individual’s positivity.

Vivienne Westwood
The Westwood brand lives
as a reflection of the nature
and personality of its creator;
expressive, challenging and
uncompromising.
As an icon of the punk
movement of the 70’s and
80’s, Vivienne Westwood is
strongly associated with the
rebellious British nature.
This is often reflected in
her brand through the
appropriation and reuse of
British iconography, both
historical and modern.
_

Vivienne Westwood
_

Alexander McQueen
_

Alexander McQueen
As one of the country’s most progressive
fashion designers Alexander McQueen is
constantly pushing the boundaries of what it
means to be British.
With a background in Saville Row Tailoring
and period theatrical costuming, his style
and brand always carries an undertone of
British formality and heritage, no matter how
progressive and challenging.
_

© Green Room 2016
Modern British
Whilst of an inherently British nature, these brands
approach their nationality in an understated way,
focussing on craft, quality and attention to detail as
representations of a modern British approach and
aesthetic.

Established in 2002, Tom Dixon
is a British product design
brand. With a commitment
to innovation and a mission
to revive the British furniture
industry, the brand is inspired by
the nation’s unique heritage and
produces extraordinary objects
for everyday use.
3.0 Modern British
_
Tom Dixon

The Tom Dixon empire includes
the Design Research Studio,
responsible for a plethora of retail
and hospitality environments
including; Tom Dixon Sandwich
restaurant in Harrods, Eclectic
Restaurant in Paris and Multiplex
at Selfridges which is London’s
first pop-up department store.
Each of the environments
provides a platform to showcase
Tom Dixon products and
promote brand awareness.
3.0 Modern British
_
Tom Dixon

Dyson
“Like everyone we get frustrated by products that don’t work properly.
As design engineers, we do something about it. We’re all about invention
and improvement.” - James Dyson
James Dyson, the founder inventor, is a personification of his brand.
He is recognised as a modern British entrepreneur.
3.0 Modern British
_

Dyson’s brand
communications
centrifuge around their
design process.
Similarly their retail
environments are
spaces that allow the
technology to come alive
with detailed explanation
and an enthusiasm for
science and engineering.
Dyson
3.0 Modern British
_

Bombay Sapphire
You don’t get much more British than a
gin & tonic and Bombay Sapphire are
recognised as the British gin of choice.
However, the brand chooses to put
more focus on the process, craft and
ingredients that go into their spirit than
their heritage.
Whilst other gins boil their botanicals
directly in the spirit to achieve their
flavour, Bombay Sapphire use the
unique Vapour Infusion process where
botanicals are held separately from
the spirit in perforated copper baskets.
When heated the botanicals vapours rise
and their distinctive flavours infuse the
spirit.
3.0 Modern British
_

Bombay Sapphire
High profile British designer Thomas Heatherwick designed the
new protruding glass structure for the Bombay Sapphire distillery in
Hampshire. “For the studio this is the first time that we’ve had the
chance to build in Britain,” said Heatherwick, who described the
restoration work as an “honour”.
The greenhouse grows the botanical ingredients in the gin and the
warm air is funnelled through the main building to aid in the distilling
process. Further cementing their USP of vapour infused gin.
3.0 Modern British
_

© Green Room 2016
International Nationalism
Whilst not being British, these examples illustrate
a broad range of strong ways in which brands
choose to leverage their nationality in their
personality and visual DNA.

Rene Lacoste, French
tennis legend, is the
leading man behind the
Lacoste brand.
Nicknamed “The
Crocodile” by fans
because of his tenacity
on the tennis court, the
iconic symbol adopted by
the brand has become
globally recognised.
Lacoste is renowned
across the world for
their high-end clothing,
footwear, perfume, leather
goods, watches, eye-
wear, and most famously
polo shirts.
The brand displays its
French nationality proudly
through its founder’s
heritage and character.
Lacoste
5.0 International Nationalism
_

Lacoste
Lacoste has created along with
fashion designer Christophe
Pillet the Lacoste Lab explicitly
to promote innovation.
Newly developed products
include an exclusive range of
bicycles, footballs, motorcycle
helmets, surfboards and skis.
The brands pop-up
focussed sub-brand,
Lacoste L!VE, invokes
the playful, innovative
spirit of Rene Lacoste,
combining sporty heritage
and impeccable French
elegance with an irreverent
tone.
_

Acne Studios is a Stockholm based fashion house with a multidisciplinary
approach. Founder and Jonny Johansson’s interest in photography, art and
architecture creates a direction that reflects contemporary Swedish culture.
The collections are defined by Johansson’s juxtaposition of design and attention to
detail, with an emphasis on tailoring and an eclectic use of materials and custom
developed fabrics.
Acne Studios
_

Acne Studios
_
Acne Studios headquarters is housed within a historic building in the heart
of Old Town in Stockholm, creating a juxtaposition with the ultra modern and
minimal design style that typifies their environments.
Known for their “Scandi style” Acne focuses on the quality, craft and form
that define Scandinavian design in their brand communications.

MUJI was founded in Japan in 1980 as an antithesis
to the habits of consumer society at that time. The
concept was born of the intersection of two distinct
stances: no brand (Mujirushi) and the value of
good items (ryohin). MUJI began with three steps:
selecting materials, scrutinising processes, and
simplifying packaging.
Muji
_

MUJI’s concepts are closely connected to the traditionally Japanese
aesthetic of “su” – meaning plain or unadorned – the idea that simplicity
is not merely modest or frugal, but could be more appealing than luxury.
Along with their minimally designed stores they have launched a trio of
prefab minimal cabins designed as rural refuges for escaping the “hustle
and bustle” of the city.
Muji
_

In 1929 Max Braun
began to manufacture
radio sets. Soon after,
Braun became one of
Germany’s leading radio
manufacturers.
From the 1950s, the
Braun brand has been
closely linked with and
represents modern
German industrial design
and its combination
of functionality and
technology.
Braun
_

To celebrate the Deiter Rams golden era of product design, the flagship Paul
Smith store in London held an exhibition of Braun product from the 1950’s -
1960’s by designers including Dieter Rams, Arne Jacobsen and Dietrich Lubs.
The Braun Collection at Braun’s headquarters in Kronberg brings to life more than
90 years of Braun’s company and brand heritage.
Braun
_

The Swedish outdoor brand creates
timeless, durable and functional
outdoor clothing and equipment.
They are very proud of their heritage
which not only comes through in
their products but also in their active
participation in treks throughout
Scandinavia and the conservation
project Save the Arctic Fox.
Fjällräven’s products are currently sold
in around 20 countries. Over time,
a few have become classics – the
Greenland Jacket, Vidda Trousers,
Kånken Backpack and Expedition
Down Jacket.
Fjallraven
_

Fjallraven
_

© Green Room 2016
Thank you
All intellectual property rights are retained and reserved by Green Room unless expressly released in writing.
Full terms and conditions available on request. © 2015 Green Room.
CONTACT DETAILS
81 Rivington St, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 3AY UK T: +44 (0)203 367 1899
Fort Dunlop, Birmingham, B24 9FD UK T: +44 (0)121 200 2828
Prinsengracht 463-HS, 1016HP, Amsterdam, The Netherlands T: +31 (0)20 221 6521
www.greenroomdesign.com

Green Room - Britishness and Nationalism in Retail Design

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Was ist angesagt? (20)

Andere mochten auch

Andere mochten auch (19)

Ähnlich wie Green Room - Britishness and Nationalism in Retail Design

Ähnlich wie Green Room - Britishness and Nationalism in Retail Design (20)

Green Room - Britishness and Nationalism in Retail Design