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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.

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

Gallery

  • Three Interior Design renders for a beauty pop-up space for a Debenhams beauty brand.
  • Duke Street Riverside lecture theatre.
  • 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.
  • 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.

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