Harvey Nichols: When food met fashion

Harvey Nichols, a luxury department store, increased sales and brand value in the UK by redesigning its packaging to mimic luxury cosmetics with the HN monogram and metallics.

Executive Summary

When it launched in 1994, Harvey Nichols monochrome, photographic food packaging was the last word in style. Youthful, exciting and completely different from anything that had gone before, it became an immediate design icon. In its matt silver tins and witty imagery, it captured the zeitgeist of Cool Britannia, London's emerging status as an art and design capital and the hilarious, irreverent spirit of Absolutely Fabulous.

It remained unchanged for the next twenty-three years, and in that time, as happens with icons, its magic started to fade. The food buying team at Harvey Nichols became increasingly shy to...

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