Cowshed has all the time been a kind of manufacturers that looks like an indulgence. It is proper up there with Wildsmith and Aesop, but it surely’s all the time been the extra reasonably priced choice within the class with out shedding any luxuriousness.
Soho Home founder Nick Jones created the unique Cowshed spa at Babington Home in Somerset within the late ’90s, later growing a line of hand cleaning soap, lotions, bathe gels, shampoos, and conditioners for the lodge and the broader public. It was formed by its rural environment again then. Perfumer Richard Howard developed the merchandise utilizing elements from the lodge’s Victorian walled backyard. Now it is in our retailers and featured throughout the rising Soho Home empire. It was that pure elements strategy that did the model proud; folks cherished the thought of utilizing one thing straight from the wild. It was a differentiator that labored effectively.
Regardless of its success, it faces more and more stiff competitors. A fast browse on Liberty or Selfridges, and sure, there’s Aesop and all of the OGs, however new challengers I’ve by no means heard of are actually additionally combating for our money. There’s Commune, Bamford, Byredo – all of them look interesting. Loewe, Matière Première, Frédéric Malle – all with lovely packaging that screams wealth.
That is the entire level. I liken hair and physique care packaging to wine bottles. If the label appears good, certainly it is top quality, proper? Fundamental instincts, however on that magnificence and wellness shelf, when luxurious buys aren’t as frequent, it’s a must to stand out. It is also about spoiling your self or exhibiting off. You need one thing that indulges your company in your spare toilet or downstairs lavatory whereas exhibiting them you’ve gotten impeccable style (and deep pockets). You additionally need to maintain the packaging when the cleaning soap runs out as a result of it is so lovely. When that occurs, as any savvy individual will secretly admit, you merely fill the identical bottle with cheaper stuff.
On the subject of branding, there’s the medical, ingredient-heavy strategy. Or minimal typography with muted cool tones. The form of the bottles additionally counts. After which there are the elements and product descriptions. It is develop into so bonkers lately, whenever you realise every hand cleaning soap has a ridiculous predominant ingredient like tomato leaves and an accompanying backstory that forgets it is only a good, smelly gel. Hey, I am northern. And do not fairly perceive the insanity or the expense.
However as somebody who appreciates nice design, I do often succumb to a pleasant hand lotion or “posh” shampoo, and Cowshed is a kind of manufacturers I will all the time attain for if I am feeling flush. Lately, although, I’ve gone for different lotions and potions, admittedly as a result of I most well-liked the branding. And this provides as much as Otherway’s current overhaul of Cowshed.
Let’s face it, Cowshed was beginning to lose its distinctiveness. Its providing was getting misplaced amongst newer merchandise, and it lacked the distinction and attraction that after set it aside. (It was solely final 12 months that London branding company Spinach was introduced in for a similar process and did a superb job – that simply reveals how fast-moving this market has develop into.)
For this newest refresh, Otherway was introduced in to reconnect Cowshed with its roots whereas making it extra interesting to trendy customers. After reviewing each side of the model, Otherway leaned right into a enjoyable steadiness between rural life, hedonistic nights and pure indulgence. As Otherway’s Ben Lewin explains: “Essentially the most highly effective manufacturers do not develop into one thing new; they lean into their DNA. For Cowshed, that meant celebrating the place it began: the cow sheds of Babington Home, with a mixture of muddy boots and champagne flutes. A distinctly British form of luxurious the place indulgence by no means loses contact with authenticity.”
As such, the wordmark is unchanged, however ‘Somerset’ now sits fortunately beneath. The model palette is extra vibrant towards a luxurious cream backdrop. And on the coronary heart of the identification are bespoke illustrations by Helsinki artist Reeta Ek, based mostly on her black-and-white botanical monotypes, which she says are “a printmaking approach that produces single, unrepeatable prints. Botanical in spirit, loosely referencing the vegetation and moods behind every perfume household”. These are seen throughout all the brand new packaging. To me, they really feel impressed by Japanese calligraphy and do an excellent job of expressing the wildness of Cowshed’s elements and its entire vibe throughout Babington Home and Soho Home.
“The design system is intentionally restrained,” says Rhiannon Brackpool, design director at Otherway. “It makes use of understated typography and beneficiant area to create room for the bespoke botanicals to really feel as if they’ve naturally grown across the packaging. That gave us the liberty to create one thing slightly wilder and extra expressive than you usually see within the wellness class.”
It is a sensible rebrand. Cowshed belongs again on the shelf amongst its rivals. Would I attain for it once more? Sure. Undoubtedly. I like that Otherway has leaned into its Somerset credentials and steered away from the insanity I’ve seen elsewhere on this area. I do not need tomato leaves. However a British model constructed from the bottom up with lovely illustrations that really feel wild, untamed and free? That, I will fortunately show in my cloakroom.
