Transformational Retailing and the Emergence of a Modern Brand : Liberty of London, 1875-1900

Alexander, Nicholas and Doherty, Anne Marie and Cronin, James (2020) Transformational Retailing and the Emergence of a Modern Brand : Liberty of London, 1875-1900. History of Retailing and Consumption, 6 (2). pp. 78-96.

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Abstract

This article considers the role of a transformational retail setting in the development of an iconic brand identity in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The focus of this research is Liberty of London. Through experiential engagement and augmented admission, Liberty created a retail environment that challenged existing practices. Coupled with the development of a brand identity enhanced through authoritative advocacy and consumers’ allegorical encounters with the firm’s core brand message, Liberty achieved the symbolic substantiation of a distinct taste regime through the market-mediation of authenticity. We discuss how brand representation in a transformational retail setting in the metropolitan market of the late nineteenth century legitimized and structured consumer expectations in a context of growing middle class demand for merchandise with enhanced aesthetic qualities and associated lifestyle values.