SUBVERSIVE BY DESIGN: CRAFTING UX FOR A REBEL FASHION ICON
The Challenge
Vivienne Westwood’s digital storefront in 2015 lacked the functional ease today’s luxury consumers expect. The challenge was to modernize the e-commerce experience and improve user flow—without compromising the brand’s iconic haute punk identity. The goal was a more shoppable site that stayed true to Vivienne’s ethos of rebellious, subversive luxury.
Our Role
In close collaboration with Global Brand Director Christopher Di Pietro, we led a strategic UX and e-commerce audit and design refresh. Our focus was to subtly embed performance-enhancing features while maintaining the raw, editorial spirit of the brand.
Strategic Approach
- Conducted UX audits and heuristic evaluations of the existing website
- Identified points of friction in the customer journey, particularly around navigation, product discovery, and conversions
- Proposed lightweight but impactful feature integrations aligned with the brand aesthetic
- Balanced commercial objectives with creative integrity
Key Solutions
- Custom Sidebar Filters: Introduced an intuitive side filter that let users narrow by size, price, color, category, and collection—making the catalog more navigable without disrupting the visual narrative.
- Quick View Modals: Enabled product previews without forcing users to reload or backtrack, preserving flow and lowering bounce rates.
- Smart Upsell Features: Embedded context-aware modules such as "Complete the Look," "You May Also Like," and "Recently Viewed" with stylized formatting to maintain editorial cohesion.
- Email Automation Enhancements: Designed brand-appropriate triggers for abandoned cart flows, last-viewed reminders, and back-in-stock alerts, helping boost re-engagement and conversion.
Outcomes
The redesign delivered a more seamless and fashion-forward shopping experience. Results included:
- Increased time on site and improved navigation depth
- Higher conversion rates and stronger product engagement
- Strong internal feedback from stakeholders, praising the balance of commerce and culture