Queen of the high street Mary Portas breathed new life into iconic department store Harvey Nichols and revolutionised the way shop window displays are used forever, before going on to found her own creative empire.
Portas, judge of this year’s Hay-on-Wye window display competition, speaks to acclaimed journalist and broadcaster Decca Aitkenhead about how she turned Harvey Nichols, a fusty and fussy shop that was mostly associated with dowagers in the 1990s, into Harvey Nicks, a trend-setting favourite of style icon Princess Diana and a leader in outrageous, headline-grabbing window displays.
Sharing candid behind-the-scenes stories and gossip from the early days of her career, Portas offers a glimpse at the creative risk taker whose impact continues to be felt on our high streets.
