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Where did it all go wrong for Jigsaw, the Duchess of Cambridge's high street go-to?

Jigsaw - Jigsaw
Jigsaw - Jigsaw

Throughout the Nineties and the first decade of the 2000s, Jigsaw was one of the coolest places to shop on the high street.

In that heyday, the Telegraph’s Head of Fashion, Lisa Armstrong, remembers it as “a haven of affordable Margaret Howell-like classics.” Its reputation was so elevated that it had a John Pawson-designed shop on London’s luxury Mecca, Bond Street, regularly visited by top fashion editors. Its campaigns were styled by Venetia Scott and shot by Juergen Teller. In 2006, when I started my first newspaper job, there was a branch virtually underneath the office, and even though my starting salary didn’t allow me to actually buy anything, it was a favourite for a lunch break browse.

So when it emerged that Kate Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge, was working there as a part-time accessories buyer in 2006-7, I was quite envious. I would have loved to glimpse behind the scenes of such a popular brand and understand the secret sauce behind its success.

Fast forward to today, and the picture couldn’t be more different. Quietly, but steadily, its star has faded, and the truth is that it is now one of those high street stores that we just walk by without noticing.

The retailer’s financial situation post-lockdown was laid bare on Friday when it emerged that the company was seeking a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), a debt management process that allows a firm to pay creditors over an agreed period of time. Seventy-five percent of creditors must agree to the arrangement before it can go ahead.

It’s a sad state of affairs for a brand that should be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Sadder still for the 900 employees whose jobs are now at stake.

So what exactly has gone wrong? Its current product offering isn’t bad - there are lots of silk printed dresses and tops, linen tailoring, and a strong selection of leather bags and footwear. It is pricey though, on a par with Reiss, so perhaps there’s not enough marketing about why Jigsaw merchandise merits the price tag. Why, for instance, would you spend £185 on its shirred silk-voile maxi dress when you could find a similar item at & Other Stories for just £85?

There have also been some missteps from which it has struggled to recover - the launch in 2003, and then shuttering in 2012 after a loss of £10 million, of its cheaper sister brand, Kew, a couple of failed forays into menswear, and then the 2014 divorce of founder John Robinson and his wife Belle, who was instrumental in the building of the brand’s reputation.

The Duchess of Cambridge wearing Jigsaw culottes - PA
The Duchess of Cambridge wearing Jigsaw culottes - PA

The appointment of Peter Ruis as chief executive in 2013, replacing John Robinson, was a savvy move, and the company enjoyed some success under his leadership.

By 2014 he had orchestrated a reboot, led by then-creative director Shailina Parti, in an attempt to reverse the damage done by price hikes and cost-cutting, with a renewed focus on impeccable cut and materials, a more inclusive size range, and the launch of a premium collection called A Line in 2015. To a point, it worked - profits soared, and trouser sales went up by 100 percent year-on-year. But the A Line price point was too high - anyone who was prepared to spend £1,500 on a sheepskin coat wasn’t going to look for it at Jigsaw - and so it was another venture that quietly disappeared.

Jigsaw
Jigsaw

Ruis left Jigsaw for Anthropologie in 2018, and shortly afterwards, Carphone Warehouse co-founder David Ross acquired a majority stake in the chain. Since then, it has been the subject of a slew of negative headlines, most recently surrounding Ross’s plan to turn Jigsaw’s Kew head office into luxury flats (six board members subsequently stepped down), as well as its January bid to get a 30 percent rent reduction from landlords.

What will emerge from next week’s CVA remains to be seen. It could potentially help resolve the chain’s debts, but it could also put it in a position for another potential sale or new majority shareholder.

What it really needs though, is a little love and investment in its PR and marketing strategy. Consumers need reminding to take a look at Jigsaw’s offering, and talented stylists to help us imagine how we could wear its wares. That’s why the Venetia Scott/Juergen Teller campaigns were such a winning move.

There have been so many high street lockdown casualties - familiar, household names including Debenhams, Cath Kidston, Aldo UK, TM Lewin and Laura Ashley, all of which have filed for administration over the past few months.

It would be a real waste of potential if Jigsaw were to follow suit.

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