Why Clothing Brands Extending their Collection to Homeware is a Really Smart Move
One would think that the evil capitalism has done this year is enough, right? Wrong. The coronavirus pandemic has caused a rapid increase in e-commerce sales for home decor since the first lockdown was announced in March 2020. According to Statista, websites selling home decor and furniture generated a grand total of 1.7 billion visits in March alone. With little to no outside life shenanigans and an increased usage of Zoom, it seems as though people are investing less into their clothes and more into their homes. Therefore, it does not come as a surprise that clothing brands have begun to expand their collections and design their own homeware.
Multinational fashion retailer, Zara, launched Zara Home back in 2003 and H&M soon followed suit by extending their home decor collection as an online textile concept in 2009 and eventually standalone stores in 2018. As of November 2020, multimillion online fashion retailer, PrettyLittleThing, have debuted their own homeware collection. Brands are clearly trying to adapt to the worldwide shift and encouraging the ‘stay at home’ message by tailoring their products to suit the climate, or in this case, releasing new products which serve the sole purpose of being used at home. PrettyLittleThing’s collection, PLT Home is categorised under ‘Stay Home’ and features a wide range of bedding, candles, storage pieces, tableware and cushions.
Retail giants are not the only ones who have read the room and adjusted themselves to the current global climate. There is a growing number of black owned businesses which are perfect for home decorative purposes:
Whether you’re commissioning abstract paintings by East London artist, @slenajcreates
Or purchasing handmade resin homeware accessories from @lee.estellestudio
Or perhaps you want to adorn your living room with some pampas grass in a bespoke vase from @__felie
I caught up with fashion influencer and lifestyle blogger, Lexus C, and asked her a few questions:
Why is home decor important to you?
“Home decor is of personal importance to me because I’m an aesthete. I take a lot of pride in aesthetics, how things look, where they’re placed. I have visions for where I place the inanimate objects in my space so I think decor should be intentional. I also feel that home decor can genuinely affect your headspace; busy and poorly decorated spaces stop me from being able to focus because I start visualising all the things I can change.”
What is your favourite piece of furniture in your room?
“Currently my favourite piece of furniture in my room is my standing shelf. It’s like a shelf of all things Lex so it’s decorative as well as practical; housing my cameras, my perfume collection, my scrunchies and the books I’m currently reading.”
What makes a place homely for you?
“Cushions! I love cushions in a home and I think where cushions are missing I find it hard to feel at home. They create a “lived in” vibe for me. I’m super big on cushions and throws because they relax a room since seeing them reminds me of rest. At uni my friends always joked that my room consistently looked prepped for guests and everyone was always at mine because it was so homely. I put that down to my fab hosting but also the cushions.”
Where do you get most of your home decor from?
“A lot of my home decor is from IKEA (predictable lol) but I like to pick up little pieces whenever I spot them so I have bits from high street stores like Primark Home, H&M Home, George at ASDA, Arket and Zara Home.”
How has lockdown affected the way you treat your living space?
“Lockdown actually gave me the opportunity to rework my living space. I got in my DIY bag and gave my room a much needed overhaul to spruce up my space so now it’s just about maintenance.”
Will you be shopping the PLT Home collection?
“I took a peek at the PLT home collection and while I’m not convinced just yet, a cute bedding set or a statement plant pot for one of my orchids is usually all it takes to convert me. It doesn’t help that there are no physical PLT stores but I’ll probably check again in a couple of months.”
Clearly, there is a positive correlation between lockdown in the UK and home decor shopping and clothing brands that are catching on to this are following the money. Where will you shop for some statement pieces to add some razzle and dazzle to your living space?
