Olly and Amelia Markeson: Neurohaus

Feature Image credit: Neurohaus

If you have ever walked into a fashion store and felt like there was simply too much happening at once, with bright lights, crowded displays and people moving around you, you probably already understand part of the problem Neurohaus is trying to solve.

Shopping has become faster and overstimulating, especially in a fashion industry that constantly wants your attention and asks you to keep scrolling and buying, but not everyone experiences these environments in the same way, and for neurodivergent people they can create very real sensory and cognitive barriers.

Founded in Oxford by Olly and Amelia Markeson, Neurohaus works on what it calls neuroinclusive consumer design, helping brands understand how their stores, websites, customer journeys and products can work better for neurodivergent people to spaces that were never designed with them in mind.

They have worked with luxury brands like Versace and Pandora, as well as Goodwill’s network of thrift stores, and their research draws on a panel of more than 600 neurodivergent people, helping them build recommendations around real experiences and practical accessibility needs.

Sometimes the smallest changes say the most

With Versace, for example, Neurohaus studied different parts of the customer journey and found that even something as simple as changing the direction of a sofa could make a space easier and more comfortable to navigate, and its work with Pandora has influenced thinking around future store design, how products are displayed, how much visual movement customers are exposed to and how people experience spaces such as queues.

In today’s fast fashion world, where everything is designed to catch your eye and move you towards the next purchase, there is a need for spaces that encourage people to slow down.

Neurohaus has also shown how something as simple as better product photography or clearer information about fabric texture can make shopping easier for someone with sensory sensitivities and give every shopper more information to make a considered choice.

For fashion to become inclusive, brands also need to think about who their stores and shopping experiences are designed for and who may still be left out.

For those working in sustainability and circular fashion, there is an important lesson here. Helping people buy more thoughtfully, keep things for longer and choose what genuinely works for them also means creating calmer and more inclusive shopping experiences. Sustainability is also about building a fashion system that works better for more people.