It’s been almost two years since the collapse of Philip Green’s Arcadia retail empire saw the demise of one of the British high street’s most iconic brands. Once a fashion mecca for teens and 20-somethings, when Topshop eventually went into administration in 2020 it couldn’t have been further from its heyday of Kate Moss collabs and London Fashion Week catwalks.

Following the brand’s acquisition by Asos as part of a £330 million deal that also included Miss Selfridge and activewear brand Hiit, the teams behind both Topshop and Topman have been steadily evolving them into digital-first businesses.

Coinciding with their inclusion in Asos’ partnership with Nordstrom in the US, the brands have now unveiled a joint new visual identity, developed in collaboration with Moving Brands.

Helping them to stand out among the ecommerce giant’s roughly 900 stocked brands, they now have their own designated ‘shop front’ – or landing page – to better appeal to fashion-conscious shoppers looking for inspiration.

“The brief was bold and direct: to elevate the brand expression with a design system that honoured the spirit of Topshop and Topman’s iconic heritage, whilst introducing distinct new elements that could make that iconoclasm relevant and successful in today’s digital era and beyond,” says Moving Brands chief strategy officer, Christina-Anne Kyosti.

The agency’s stripped back approach to the identity appears to be an attempt to bridge the gap between the worlds of high street and high fashion once more, with a new monogram that nods to the brands’ shared heritage.

“The monogram is a core element of the new brand that acts as a signifier, which can also be woven into an iconic brand pattern,” says Moving Brands design director, Isaac Konczak.

A new wordmark, designed with Colophon Foundry, is equally as minimalist. “Building out from the brands’ heritage of a sans serif logotype, we created a modern custom wordmark that confidently put an unapologetic, monolithic stamp on their new creative direction,” Konczak adds.

One of the design elements that stands out the most is the choice of an orange and black colour palette, which was inspired by the signage traditionally used within the stores.

The rebrand is accompanied by a launch campaign featuring stills by photographer Jesse Jenkins and a film by director Heji Shin, which the brand hopes will “recapture some of the old Topshop spirit”.

movingbrands.com