LONDON — Ralph Lauren is bringing its preppy Rugby label to Europe for the first time this summer.
On Saturday, the brand will open a 5,520-square-foot store on King Street in London’s buzzy Covent Garden area. The store, which will stand near Burberry Brit and Apple on the street, is the Rugby label’s second unit outside the U.S., following the opening of a Tokyo store last year. It will mark the first time the label has been sold in Europe.
To tie in with Rugby’s Ivy League sensibilities, the two-story space is housed in a building that dates back to the 1600s, and was originally designed by Baroque architect Thomas Archer. The space will carry Rugby’s complete collection of collegiate-inspired designs for men and women, with women’s lines on the ground floor and men’s on the lower ground floor.
The store will also offer Rugby’s Make Your Own service, whereby customers can customize polo shirts, tote bags and rugby shirts with different embroidered badges, with designs ranging from skull and crossbones to bulldogs. The London store will add to Rugby’s unit in Tokyo, alongside the brand’s flagship in New York and stores in college towns including Greenwich, Conn.; Georgetown, Washington, and Boston.