Yoo home at Harrods – Upholstery Ranges

Project Description

The project was working with the prestigious international business, yoo. Managing the development all of their own brand retail upholstery ranges, from conception all the way through to their launch into yoo’s first retail concession in Harrods.

Project Detail

Worked as part of their retail project team, responsible for the project management and delivery of upholstered products to sit within 4 different collections (Classic, Culture, Minimal and City), sourced internationally, and using various substrates and materials. All products offered to the customers were bespoke, from a range of finishes, fabrics and leathers.

Worked closely with the Curator of the collections, yoo’s in-house and external Designers, Purchasing teams, and their suppliers.

• Work with existing suppliers to develop ranges of upholstered furniture, ranging from armchairs, chaise longues, wing back and club armchairs, sofas, corner sofas et al.
• Risk assessed product drawings with designers and suppliers for safety, ‘fit for purpose’, feasibility of production and cost.
• Visited UK and European suppliers to brief product developments, obtain quotations, review, develop and approve products.
• Work with designers and supplier to accurately record the yoo designed items and achieve detailed CAD drawings.
• Worked with suppliers, fabric and leather vendors to arrange testing, review Flammability test certification, and build product technical files.
• Managed the briefing, manufacture, and approval of the colour and finish reference standards to match across suppliers.
• Worked with in-house designers, marketing teams, and external marketing consultant to deliver ‘yoo home’ branded sew-in labels
• Trained store staff on products and organised additional training by fabric and leather vendors and upholsterers.
• Nubuck leather – work with independent test house to obtain a foreseeable ageing and wear grading for store team to use when selling to customers.
• Cross costing exercise with 3 new suppliers, delivering a 23% reduction on cost prices from original suppliers.
• Worked with Purchasing and e-Commerce teams to implement SAGE system, and detailing all product options and prices.