Margaret Clayton / 15 March 2025 / Categories: Shops, Clothing, Opinions

Harvey Nichols please don’t close

I have read two back to back articles over the last couple of days that have got me thinking. The first was in The Daily Telegraph on 5th March. I follow Lisa Armstrong the Head of Fashion at the telegraph and the Instagram algorithm put the post in front of me yesterday.

The article detailed the hiring of ex Vogue editor Kate Phelan, the woman tasked to turn around the fortunes of the beleaguered titan where a gung ho Mary Portas apparently failed with her take on a Harvey Nichols revamp as creative director in the early nineties. By 2013 Portas was quoted in the evening standard saying Harvey Nichols had lost its cool and had been eclipsed by Selfridges.

I used to love a nose is Harvey Nichols and was introduced to some brands I now love by the buyers at Harvey Nichols, brands like Alice and Olivia and Self Portrait I got my first taste’s of at Harvey Nichols.

And now the self-effacing Kate Phelan, who has worked at Vogue, then at Marie Claire, then at Vogue again, was the fashion editor other fashion editors watched now has the reins of so many women’s favourite London shop; if only they could get it right.

On the one hand we know we’ve spent too much buying our designer luxury in other places and secondhand, a market that just won’t stop growing we may just have stuck the boot in too far to save a true luxury experience like Harvey Nichols.

The article in the Telegraph did make me feel like I need to go and support Harvey Nichols, even if I only go to the cafe. I honestly would be gutted if it closed.

On the other hand in Time Out there’s an article announcing the complete opposite. The online secondhand platform Vinted, a privately held unicorn business started by two Lithuanian girls looking for a way to clear out their wardrobe in 2007 is defying the trend of falling shopping footfall on London streets and opening a physical pop up in South Kensington.

This is what it says in Time Out;

“House of Vinted opens its doors at The Adria in South Kensington on Saturday, March 22. It’ll feature curated wardrobes from prominent fashion names and influencers like Susie Lau, Victoria Magrath, Simran Randhawa, Giulia Valentina and Keiona Revlon. Arranged according to different themes (‘Art Deco Déjà Vu’, ‘Modern Eclectic’s Encore’, ‘Cottagecore Comeback’) the display includes items from the likes of The Row, Prada, Gucci, Maison Margiela and Jacquemus.”

Not sure what time but I am extremely curious what the House of Vinted are going to do and if this brave step on a dying high street is the biggest shift for sustainable fashion, when Harvey Nichols are struggling to survive. The challenge to present the offering in a way that presents value to the market. It will be interesting to see if relatively new players like Vinted are coming in and taking the old guards lunch. If the Vinted pop up can deliver for people who love the physical shopping experience in a curated cool stylish way then there’s nothing anyone can do about poor old Harvey Nicks.

The market right now is tough trading conditions for everyone and is being dictated by consumers. I’ll be going to check out House of Vinted next Saturday when the doors open.

I’ll add the time here when I know what that will be. May be I’ll pop into Harvey Nichols afterwards for a cup of tea and to do a direct comparison.