American fashion retailer Kate Spade will open stores in London’s Sloane Square and Convent Garden next month.
The brand follows in the footsteps of other American clothing retailers such as Banana Republic, J. Crew and Tory Burch, who have all made their presence felt in London recently.
Kate Spade founded her eponymous designer brand in 2003, when brightly-coloured tote bags made up the core product line. The ever popular bags are still there but now shoppers can also go to Kate Spade for shoes, clothes, jewelry, luggage and home products.
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The retailer’s first effort at testing British waters was back in 2010 when it opened a pop-up store. Now Deborah Lloyd, the company’s Chief Creative Officer, is expecting the brand’s two permanent retail spaces to be a big hit with British consumers.
“I think we have a unique sense of fun mixed with lady-like glamour,” she told The Telegraph. "We don't take ourselves too seriously and I think the Brits will appreciate that. We are also such a New York brand - so we'll bring a little bit of that spirit to London."
Lloyd, who previously worked for Banana Republic and Burberry before joining Kate Spade in 2007, added that the new stores will be the first of many.
“The stores will be our first major presence in Europe and will be the gateway to the rest of the continent. We are in an amazing expansion mode right now, with openings around the world,” she said.
There are 38 Kate Spade stores in the United States and 89 across Asia.
