Harvey Nichols has named the British stylist and editor Kate Phelan to the new role of creative director, with immediate effect.
Phelan is a well-known industry figure who has worked for Topshop and British Vogue, adding her signature dose of London cool to both brands. More recently, she teamed with Weekend Max Mara on a Signature collection for fall 2023.
Her appointment is one of the first major moves by new chief executive officer Julia Goddard, who joined the retailer earlier this year.
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“Kate’s esteemed career in the fashion industry has been captivating, and her expertise will strengthen the leadership team at Harvey Nichols,” Goddard said.
“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,” Goddard added.
Phelan said she is joining “at an exciting time in retail, with many new opportunities to use the channels we have available to tell stories. Harvey Nichols has a wonderful history, and I very much look forward to working alongside Julia and the Harvey Nichols team in delivering a new energy and vision for the brand.”
Phelan will be responsible for Harvey Nichols’ brand campaigns, as well as “elevating the visual identity of the brand and its creative propositions,” the store said.
She will report directly to Goddard, and continue her freelance editorial and commercial styling collaborations alongside her new role.
Phelan began her career at British Vogue in 1984, where she worked as a fashion assistant for three years before moving on to become senior fashion editor at Marie Claire. She then returned to work at British Vogue as co-creative director for 18 years.
From 2011 to 2017, she worked as creative director at Topshop before returning to British Vogue in 2013 in a part-time role. After leaving Topshop, she served as senior contributing fashion editor at British Vogue, under then-editor Edward Enninful.
As reported, Goddard took up her role in June. She was formerly EMEA president at Alexander McQueen. At Harvey Nichols, she took over the responsibilities from interim CEO Pearson Poon, son of Harvey Nichols’ owner, Hong Kong property tycoon Dickson Poon.
Poon had stepped into the role after Manju Malhotra, former CEO, stepped down at the end of 2023.
