Piccadilly will be open from 10am-8pm Monday-Saturday and 12pm-6pm on Sunday. The store has also been made Covid-19 secure and is operating a one-way system and has hand sanitisation stations in-store to ensure customer safety while shopping. In the UK, the chain has 60 stores and employs 941 people, of which 820 have been furloughed under the government’s jobs retention scheme that pays 80 per cent of an employee’s wages. Cath Kidston’s iconic prints are lovingly designed and hand-painted, celebrating British heritage and quintessential charm. This new furniture collection at DFS offers customers the chance to incorporate Cath Kidston pattern into their home, whether that’s choosing a statement piece in a single print, or layering a variety of patterns for a maximalistfeel. The new collection features re-mastered signature Cath Kidston prints including Forever Rose and Endless Love, together with the brand’s latest print designs, developed and hand-painted by Creative Director Holly Marler, such as Strawberry Garden, Painted Kingdom and Summer Birds.

My role in this transformation plan is to ensure everything is cohesive and curated within the brand’s vision,” Marler told Retail Gazette. Cath Kidston had over 100 international stores by this point. Kidston stepped down from her role as chief creative designer, but remained a shareholder of the brand, with more than a 10 per cent stake. Baring Private Equity Asia became a substantial shareholder in Cath Kidston.Marler, who joined from Liberty London, is responsible for overseeing the brand’s print and design direction and communicating its overall artistic vision. The house itself is classically English – old, stone-built, at the end of a sweeping drive. On entering one is greeted by a couple of friendly dogs (she is known to be a dog person, as well as a flower person, and both are represented in her designs). The intricate designs in this latest collaboration with all things Hogwarts have been inspired by Harry, Hermione, Ron and the gang's school lessons. Handcrafted in Britain and featuring fully recycled print fabrics*, together with scatter cushions printed on 100% recycled cloth Marler added that Cath Kidston has also witnessed new trends in response to Covid-19, such as an increase in the sale of homeware products.

However, experts have told Retail Gazette that the reasons behind Cath Kidston’s declining sales were not primarily due to the coronavirus pandemic. If anything, its problems were evident before the crisis – but the pandemic accelerated and exacerbated them. This is a preference that can clearly be seen in the textiles and house furnishings for which she is famous. “For a long time I’ve worked with very traditional wallpaper factories here in England who do ‘surface print‘”, a method, invented in 1839 and using inked rollers, which produces a beautifully soft effect. "That kind of wallpaper printing is extraordinary. It’s probably the closest experience I’ve had in my business to fine art.”Piccadilly will also focus on beauty and wellness, as well as home entertaining, and have a bespoke haberdashery that offers home décor options and fabric by the metre, as well as a Christmas gift emporium. Cath Kidston reopens 180 Piccadilly flagship Cath Kidston also placed its store estate under review as it sought to “ensure shops are in the best locations”. As creative director, Marler brainstorms ideas for new brand collaborations and how to communicate them to consumers. The Cath Kidston collection goes beyond traditional sofas alone and encourages you to introduce personality to any corner of the home - from living rooms and bedrooms through to secondary spaces such as hallways, conservatories, nurseries and guest rooms. The whole effect of the print wall could be an illustration of Lucian Freud’s dictum that in the end nothing goes with anything, “it’s your taste that puts things together”. In this case, of course, the taste is Kidston’s: the same eye and sensibility that directed the hugely successful business that bears her name.

Marler told Retail Gazette that while Cath Kidston’s prints is instantly recognisable and world-famous, the print has to be authentic. After all, the iconic English retailer – launched by Cath Kidston herself in west London in 1993 – was known for using vintage fabric before designing her own unique prints.

Cath Kidston reopens 180 Piccadilly flagship

Her most recent role was at luxury department store Liberty where she served as design director for two years, responsible for designing and hand-drawing all the in-store products with the Liberty print, as well as launching a ready-to-wear collection. Marler also joined Temperely London, where she worked with founder Alice Temperely as her “right-hand woman”, helping extend the brand’s collection into bridal and eveningwear. Each print has been lovingly painted by hand and paired with colourful accents and trims, with a focus on detail and quality. To see the pieces hand crafted with care with the same attention to detail as in our paintings, made this collaboration truly authentic, coupled with the team’s incredible passion, I simply cannot wait to see the wonderful pieces in people’s homes.”

Davide Barbero Design Port Eco Bath London ECP Designs Limited Eddingtons Emma Bridgewater Fallen Fruits Filippi Gallery Direct Grunwerg Herdy House Of MarblesOnce I got a flat in Hammersmith, I really began collecting. I started off with a load of old ’50s flower prints and sets of topographical garden views. I remember framing them. I’ve always been interested in the frame and the picture together: the combination.” Whilst the iconic prints have been loved by many, the bright, bold and almost child-like designs have the potential to alienate a large majority of consumers,” she said. After Marler graduated from the prestigious Central St Martins where she studied textile and fashion design, she travelled to Italy to work at fashion brand Jato as an embroidery designer for a year. There, she drew for brands like Gucci. British retailer Cath Kidston, known for its vintage prints and cutesy florals, which was saved from administration earlier this year to become a “brand-first, digital-led” retailer, has reopened its flagship Piccadilly, London store. The challenge now for Cath Kidston is simply to survive. It’s only been a few weeks since restructuring specialist Alvarez & Marsalwere was instructed to find a buyer, with several credible expressions of interest in a takeover already received.