ELLIE’S PLACE

Time For Change

With a complete brand refresh, Ellie Sanderson is set to face the future of bridal retail head-on – and in her own, inimitable style. Sarah Dawson reports

Ellie Sanderson revealed the brand’s beautiful new look in October. Here, we chat with Ellie and Jonathan Harris, the Creative Director of Harrisment Design & Branding, who helped bring Ellie’s vision to life, about how the brand has evolved, and what the future holds for bridal retailers.

What prompted the decision to re-brand Ellie Sanderson?

ES: A number of things came into play. Firstly, I am hugely critical of everything we do and always have been, so during the third lockdown I had a moment when I was staring at my logo and I felt it no longer represented what we stand for as a business. I felt it didn’t have a big enough personality – somehow the block capitals felt anonymous and impersonal. It’s hard to put it into words, but I instinctively knew it was time for change and time to move forward. Owning this well-known brand and its legacy means I am constantly pushing forward, not only in aesthetics, but in products and processes. All change!

Why did you feel now was the time for change?

JH: Successful brands are constantly evolving; they never stand still. They are always relevant and connected to their customers, as well as the world around them.

Sometimes change is responsive, in Ellie’s case it’s often to lead.

Over the past few years, there have been a raft of changes to the world we live in – some due to the pandemic and Brexit, others longer in the making. This is a great moment to recognise and signal how well the Ellie Sanderson brand has responded to these challenges.

What’s the idea behind the re-brand and new look?

ES: I wanted to mark the start of the next chapter; Covid. 2020 was a tumultuous time for us all in this industry and things will never be the same again. They will be similar, but different, and I felt we needed to be, too. Similar but different; similar but better; similar but fresher.

I worked for months with Harrisment Design & Branding and Jonathan really got under the skin of my business. He took time to listen to what was driving my desire for change; he spent time assessing my feelings about font, look, colours and more.

The brand tool kit we now have is personal and far reaching and so many ideas have come from it!

JH: It’s all inspired by energy, positivity, inclusion and engagement – as well as remaining classy and fabulous!

We want to celebrate the work done by staff and supporters of Ellie Sanderson, maintaining their poise, hope and creativity, both recently and throughout the lifetime of the brand. Never letting their heads go down, always being flexible and with a can-do attitude. Always human, empathetic and with a sense of humour. Forward looking, but pen to new ideas and respectful of the old traditions.

How would you describe Ellie Sanderson’s new look and new direction?

ES: I feel it’s personal – it has my signature on it after all! I think the new look epitomises our hands-on approach to client care and supplier relations. I feel it shows my name is above the door and I am behind the door. It’s got a face and it’s trustworthy, open and honest. Just like us.

The timing of the rebrand was not a happy accident – it’s not just because we are coming out the other side of the pandemic, but also because we have properly launched our Woodstock business. The original launch was under the Covid cloud, and my poor Woodstock studio was shut down after three months because of this. So, now it’s time to shout about it!

We have a vastly different collection in the Woodstock studio to our Beaconsfield studio. Woodstock is more relaxed and the labels in there are not big national brands, but significant brands to watch, like Eva Lendel, Anna Kara and Rish. They are blended with our usual favourites, including Suzanne Neville and Jesus Peiro, and work perfectly.

JH: The Ellie Sanderson new look has energy and movement; it’s informal and fluid, without losing its elegance. The style reflects Ellie’s willingness to have her vision and values front and centre. It has a certain

couture confidence, reflecting Ellie Sanderson’s stature within the bridal sphere. There’s also a playfulness, reminding us that the buying of a wedding dress is a time of celebration and joy, along with a hint of indulgence.

What does the future of wedding dress shopping look like and how is Ellie Sanderson going to embrace it?

JH: Ellie Sanderson will embrace it by staying true to its core values. On the face of it overall, the economic trends suggest that, sadly, bridal shops will diminish in number. The exodus to online, less in people’s pockets and the escalating cost of premises, all paint a pretty gloomy picture.

Ellie Sanderson is already navigating a different course. They look at the bride’s journey beyond their first appointment. The brand is so much more than simply shifting dresses. It’s about creating memories for the bride, supporting with honest advice when requested, offering options, taking the time to get to know her, her goals and ambitions for her big day.

We know that online will generate ideas and enthusiasm and Ellie Sanderson wants to encourage that, especially as its online presence is incredibly rich and visual. Ellie Sanderson wants brides to come along with their Pinterest boards, or whatever, and use that as a springboard into an appointment.

Equally, Ellie Sanderson prides itself on its fashion knowledge and aesthetic sensibilities, so if you come to them as a blank canvas, they can help explore the collections together.

They’re in constant conversation with designers, influencers, photographers, stylists and florists across the industry, which allows them to curate their collections and innovate their services every year.

Sitting in front of a screen generates awareness, excitement and anticipation. The more of the Ellie Sanderson brand you experience, the more memories you will make.

The elements that the digital world and other retailers can’t provide are the personal attention, sympathetic appreciation, creative spark and outstanding levels of tailored service.

The goal is to build personal connections with the bride, to make the dress-finding process unforgettable and emotionally fulfilling. To make her into the bride she dreams of, giving her confidence and presence.

Choosing a top bridal boutique is more than a skip-and-click to PayPal: it’s one of the longest and most personal relationships you’ll have throughout your wedding preparations. Ellie Sanderson’s goal is to ensure it remains fabulous throughout and beyond.

What lessons have you learnt about the business over recent years and how are these going to be worked into the brand, moving forward?

ES: A huge number of lessons have been learned in the past few years and more will be learned in the years to come.

We will continue to work with suppliers who supported us through the past 20 months, those who genuinely listen to our feedback and those who want solid brand partnerships.

I don’t want to work with labels that saturate the market-place until there is a glut of their product, and that product becomes devalued and overavailable. In all honesty, I run from suppliers who rely on minimums to keep their business models working, and instead gravitate to those who sell great product that’s exclusive and focus on selling repeats.

I work with suppliers where I can get a solid return on my investment so that I am happy to step up and invest into the next collection. It’s a positive cycle of business achievement.

The bridal industry is on the cusp of being beyond saturated with massproduced product and these dresses are clogging up rails everywhere. The number of dresses that end up in land fill sites annually frightens me, and we must be more accountable for that.

We will remain solid lovers of British design and will continue to blend this with great new world class labels.

Harrisment Design & Branding www.harrisment.co.uk

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