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Collaborative Solutions for Debenhams: How can Interior Design and Fashion Marketing and Business students tackle industry challenges?

BA (Hons) Interior Design and BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing and Business students were tasked by Debenhams to address the challenges between online and physical shopping spaces within the beauty industry.

Three Interior Design renders for a beauty pop-up space for a Debenhams beauty brand.

Working in groups, the students produced a temporary and freestanding pop-up store concept for a Debenhams beauty brand.

Duke Street Riverside lecture theatre.

The brief gave students a taste of what it can be like to work to short, demanding deadlines, having only two weeks to prepare their final pitch for Debenhams Creative Director Patrick Duggan. The presentation included an overall concept board, a visual representation of a pop-up space, a launch/event plan and an event invite design.

“I hope to see something that is brave. The idea of something being wrong doesn’t exist to me, just go for it. ”

Patrick Duggan, Debenhams Creative Director

Groups of Interior Design and Fashion Marketing and Business students sitting around tables with their laptops.

Male Interior Design student sketching in a book.

A group of Interior Design and Fashion Marketing and Business students working around a table with their laptops.

A female student looking through her sketchbook.

Two female students smiling and working together around a table. The table has a large piece of paper on it with a mind map drawing.

Students sitting around a table and creating a mind map.

Students sitting around a table on their laptops.

To assist students in their creative process, Norwich graduate Beth Poulter returned to the University to speak to the students about her career in creative and visual merchandising.

Beth graduated in 2018 from BA Fashion Communication and Promotion and is currently a Creative Visual Merchandiser for global fashion brand AllSaints. Prior to this, Beth spent three years at contemporary jewellery brand Astrid & Miyu.

We asked Beth what advice she has for the students taking on this brief:

“I would start the project with looking at emerging trends. You can’t be one step ahead if you don’t know what is happening now; understand who is doing what and who is doing it well.”

“Get inspired and think about the brands you’re designing for. You’ve got to ask what is the point of the space, what is it you want people to take from it, do you want people to shop, take photos or learn about the brand. Think about the customer journey.”

Student work

Three Interior Design renders for a beauty pop-up space for a Debenhams beauty brand.

A digital mock-up of a leaflet

A photo of Kew Gardens in London with an interior design render of three large perfume bottles used as a beauty pop-up space.

Three Interior Design renders for a beauty pop-up space for a Debenhams beauty brand.

A digital sketch of a timeline for a beauty pop-up space launch.

Four digital renders of a beauty pop-up space and concept piece.

Two digital mock-ups of a beauty pop-up space launch. The mock-ups include a billboard and signage on public transport.

Interior Design and Fashion Marketing and Business students that were involved in this project:

BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing and Business BA (Hons) Interior Design
Jack Thomas
Alex Hartley
Dominka Klimczak
Amelia Murphy
Sofia Bacchetta
Ted Saunders
Trinity Rogers
Leva Barkauskaite
Phoebe Bench
Rosie Hiskey
Hannah Gunton
Sophie Smith
Ava Powell
Celine Mutemererwa
Callie Fillingham
Sam Putman
Tia Vickers
Lydia Cheyne
Chadonnae Edwards
Libby Godbold
Rajan Sekhon
April Palfrey
Natalia Ramburn
Gaynelle Morais
Lucy Bristow
Matt Nunn
Hannah Rudd
Arabella Hopkinson
Ian Wang
Ugne Kivytaite
Wiktoria Smolarek
Jess Wood
George Dunster
Jasmine Burgess
Desmond Lau
Eve Gosling
Jess Parry
Tzanya Gayle
Wiktoria Chmielewska
Maddie Gibson
Luke Copeman
Holly Mullings
Daniel Dwyer
Abi Newton

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