Harvey Nichols names Phelan to new creative director role

​Harvey Nichols announced an interesting appointment on Monday, not only naming its first-ever creative director but finding her in the media world rather than retail or design.

It’s named Kate Phelan to the newly created role and she’ll be responsible for the high-end department store business’s brand campaigns and wider visual identity. 

Her immediate arrival follows the retailer’s appointment of a new CEO this summer with ex-Alexander McQueen executive Julia Goddard having taken over in June.

She said Phelan’s “esteemed career in the fashion industry has been captivating, and her expertise will strengthen the leadership team at Harvey Nichols. Her renowned experience will be instrumental in driving Harvey Nichols forward to establish itself as the go-to brand for well curated luxury fashion, delivering quality growth and successfully celebrating our brand’s unique DNA. I am very excited to see her creativity and vision come to life.”

And Phelan herself spoke of “delivering a new energy and vision for the brand”.

It’s the first major appointment Goddard has made and it’s intriguing that she’s looked to the media world for such a high-profile role.

Ok, she’s not a complete newcomer to retail having been creative director at Topshop from 2011 to 2017. But most of her career has been spent in the world of glossy magazines.

She started out as a fashion assistant at British Vogue in 1984 and joined Marie Claire three years later as its senior fashion editor.

She was back at Vogue in 1993 with an 18-year stint as co-creative director before the Topshop job. While she was still working for the much-missed physical fashion retailer, she also returned to work with Vogue part-time as senior contributing fashion editor.

She’ll continue to work on other freelance projects during her time at Harvey Nichols.