New Boden coat collection is inspired by historic women

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Sep 11, 2019

In an under-pressure fashion retail sector where convincing cautious consumers to part with their hard-earned cash takes a massive effort, retailers are going all out to add extra reasons that might encourage consumers to purchase.

This is leading to some interesting product developments and marketing campaigns And the latest coat collection from Boden is more than just a selection of coats, with a complete story having been constructed around the styles in celebration of some of the great women of British culture and history.

They include novelists Emily Brontë and Jane Austen, mathematician and writer Ava Lovelace, nursing pioneers Mary Seacole and Kate Marsden, novelist and playwright Frances Burney, writer Nancy Mitford, explorer Helen Caddick, and even Celtic queen Boudica, with each of the coats and other items being named after one of the women.

Creating such a collection is clearly a balancing act as each piece needs to fit the season’s trend stories as well as having just enough to legitimise the link to its muse.

With the tagline Behind every great coat is a great woman, the company said it’s aiming to “embrace British creativity” and be inspired by the greatness of the past, rather than to recreate a look that these women would have worn.

That means the pieces don’t look in any way odd with the Austen Coat retailing at £220 and coming in red wool with an on-trend leopard collar. The bold colour and animal print are inspired by Austen’s “sparkling wit and unforgettable characters”.

And to push the connection between such new designs and the character who inspired them, the company has also commissioned illustrator Rose Blake to draw portraits of some of the women.

The investment in the collection has already paid off in terms of publicity for the brand with plenty of press coverage already.