The office of the incredibly popular brand Missguided looks more like a Pinterest board made by a fashion student than it does a traditional office. Which is probably why it’s hugely popular with both employees and long-time fans of the online fashion retailer! Missguided’s headquarters, based in Manchester, was designed by the Sheila Bird Group, and perfectly encapsulate the quirky, bold and rebellious attitude of the contemporary brand.

Atus Bansal, co-founder, and partner at Sheila bird, said that he wanted this space to be an “inspirational home” for the young staff at the company. Function and aesthetics were two big motivations behind the design, and Bansal says this works not only because this is the office of a young fashion brand, but also because the design was rooted in answering the question ‘why can’t work be fun?’. The space is intended to be inspirational and encourages staff to enjoy their time at work.

The office is a home base to over 300 staff, and the space is noticeably vibrant and very very pink, which fits perfectly with the core ethos of the brand. The design also works within the context of the fast-paced digital era in which Missguided thrives.

The language of the brands' millennial staff and customers is a feature that runs heavily throughout the office, marking it distinctly as their own. “All the words came from Missguided, from their members of staff. Them having ownership of that was a great way of showing that this is their space,” says Bansal.   The office not only serves as a workspace but as a fashionable backdrop for selfies and Instagram’s. One particularly popular element of this new office is the ‘selfie tunnel’ on the ground floor which, as the name suggests, encourages staff and visitors to take a selfie in the space. Other notable elements of the ground floor include a large, open social space which is framed by striking meeting rooms and cozy sleeping pods.

“They range from rooms that float to rooms that are shrouded in mirrors; inside the main board room you’re almost having a meeting inside one of Missguided’s packaging boxes – it’s bright pink and it’s got red lips all over it,” says Bansal. “The other rooms have all got different themes and personalities too. You’ve got lights that look like clouds, unicorn rooms, a room that’s all pink, a room with swings, and there are chairs suspended from the ceiling so you can sit in them and have a meeting on the phone. The whole space is just full of all sorts of adventure,” Atul beams. “You’ve got stuff hidden below the floor that lights up as you walk past it and you’ve got the external space that looks like Miami – but you’re in Salford!” Images from https://www.onofficemagazine.com/