Liverpool-based creative and activation outfit Liquid has announced a major expansion to its business, along with a new-look leadership, in a move to position itself as the pioneer of a new wave of brand support organisations.
Within the newly formed structure, the existing, 25-year-old creative agency with a history predominantly in the fashion, lifestyle, and retail space, is rebranded as Liquid Create and supplemented by two new functionalities:
- Liquid Lab, an insights and brand strategy platform that connects business objectives to impactful execution through cultural and consumer insight, supported by a global network of industry thought leaders.
- Liquid Brands, an independent brand development house that partners with and creates brands in the sports, fashion, wellness, and lifestyle sectors. Providing capital, commercial, and creative support to early-stage bedroom brands, dormant legacy brands, established brands, and talent-led brand creations.
At the heart of the restructure, providing support across the new Liquid business model, is the creation of the Liquid Expert Collective. A global network of professionals at all levels of seniority that “provides everything from strategic firepower to executional excellence to Liquid partners.”
This new model champions a lean but highly capable in-house team, working in collaboration with a network of the best minds across all major industries and disciplines, and from this network, a bespoke team is built specifically for each client.
To support the expansion, Liquid Founder Steve McGauley has joined forces with ex-Gucci head of marketing, Rhodri Evans, in a move that will see the pair sit as co-directors of the new structure.
Evans brings with him vast experience in aligning global brands to culture, with significant stints in brand leadership roles at ASICS and Levi’s, before Gucci tapped him for his services in 2021, where he oversaw the brand and client engagement functions, delivering numerous notable projects, including, in 2024 alone, the brand’s London Cruise Show at Tate Modern and the Gucci Cosmos Exhibition at 180 Studios.
McGauley, with a background leading creative in the 1990s at Pentland Group on brands such as Speedo, Ellesse, and Kickers, established the original Liquid agency in London in 2000 before moving the operation to Liverpool in 2004, where it has since built up an impressive client roster, simultaneously proving that a London address isn’t essential in agency land.
McGauley said: “Liquid has a 25-year track record helping the world’s favourite brands deliver award-winning creative execution and activations, but what brands need from their partners has changed beyond all recognition. What we’re announcing today has future-proofed our offering – allowing us to be more agile and responsive, to integrate new technologies, and to flex our network in the directions our clients most need them. We’re excited by the unlock this provides to our existing and new clients.”
Evans added: “I’ve partnered with Liquid throughout my career, and I’m excited to come on board and help build a new trajectory for the business. What we’re announcing here is a comprehensive proposition shaped by a first-hand knowledge of what brands need in today’s climate. The ability to help our partners better align their strategy to relevant cultural discourse backed by creative and activation that resonates, and with Liquid Brands comes the ability to grow a new wave of exciting brand propositions.”
The relaunch of the Liquid working model reflects a broader shift in the creative landscape — one where brands are increasingly turning to the agility of collective-based partners that combine specialist expertise with the ability to move at the pace of culture. As marketing ecosystems evolve, clients are looking for partners who can flex their teams around specific challenges rather than relying on static, siloed structures. Liquid’s model “embodies this new era of collaboration — fluid, scalable, and talent-first — enabling access to senior creative and strategic thinkers across disciplines, while maintaining the intimacy, speed, and efficiency that all brands now demand.”
