Free People’s UK Launch
SEVENTIES label Free People has launched in Britain for the first time, having launched its debut UK e-commerce site today. The brand - known for its easy, pared-down hippy-inspired aesthetic - was previously only available widely in the US.
"We have seen a growing interest in the brand from our UK fans," said Free People retail and direct managing director David Hayne. "We were constantly getting requests through Facebook and our blog for Free People to be brought to the UK, so we have been extremely eager to provide our friends across the pond with a seamless and easy shopping experience."
Although a standalone store isn't in the pipeline just yet, Hayne plans to grow the brand through wholesale partnerships and UK stockists - making its instantly covetable pieces more accessible than ever before.
"Free People girls in the US and the UK share a commonality of being curious and creative," said Free People art director Lauren Cohan. "We love how girls in the UK style pieces from high fashion to high street and wear them together. Free People is not about what you're wearing, but how you wear it. Whether you style them in a tough tomboy, romantic and pretty, or a bohemian way, it's all about taking the pieces and making them your own."
Cohan has her sights set on London's coolest girls as potential fans of the brand, namely Alexa Chung, Suki Waterhouse, Edie Campbell, Cara Delevingne. Vogue cover girl Lily Donaldson fronts the autumn/winter 2012-2013 campaign - the perfect ambassador for its feminine bohemian collection.
"One of the most important elements of our creative is the casting itself - we always try to work with girls who embody Free People - effortlessly cool, comfortable in their own skin, and free-spirited," explained Cohan. "Lily was all of these things - as beautiful in person as she is in photos, sweet, funny, articulate, gracious and intelligent. We had a really mellow shoot, spent two days laughing."
