LONDON — Marc Jacobs may well be the only man in London with a spring garden in full bloom.
The designer’s first store here opened on Mayfair’s Mount Street earlier this week, its windows crammed with tulips, roses, daffodils, daisies and hydrangeas.
“We must have bought up every flower in London, but in some cases, we needed to fake it: Hydrangeas don’t bloom in the spring, and there wasn’t one fake lilac to be found in this entire town,” said Robert Duffy, president of Marc Jacobs, during a walk-through.
The store, which spans 2,700 square feet, carries the full Marc Jacobs range, as well as a string of exclusive items: Union Jack surfboards, motorcycle helmets and beach towels, as well as T-shirts printed with designs of the iconic London taxis and a limited range of leather handbags for spring.
The shop also showcases the designer’s new bone china tableware and crystal glassware for Waterford, and is the only European store to carry the children’s collection.
The space was formerly an antiques store. During renovations, the Marc Jacobs team tore up carpeting to reveal rich, patterned parquet flooring, and uncovered a series of grand Palladian windows at the back. There are a series of working fireplaces, which Duffy said would be up and running soon, and Regency details installed by the former owners: A dark wood staircase and doors, as well as period marble mantelpieces.
The decor is similar to that of the Marc Jacobs store in Paris, with specially designed brown furniture by Christian Liaigre, plush brown carpeting, marble and wood cabinets and shelving with pearlized backdrops.
Although the neighborhood is undoubtedly elegant, with its red brick buildings and nearby Mount Street garden, it’s sleepy compared with nearby Bond and Conduit Streets. Also, it doesn’t draw the retail traffic of those streets.
“This area has more charm and appeal,” said Duffy. “There’s a garden around the corner. I like having a garden nearby. The retail spaces here are also beautiful, deep and interesting,” he added.
Duffy declined to give first-year sales projections, although commercial real estate sources estimate Marc Jacobs is paying about 250,000 pounds, or $500,000, annually in rent. Duffy said London is a key market for the company.
Related Articles
You May Also Like
“We actually wanted to open London before Paris, but Paris became available first. Our bags, especially, are very popular in the U.K. and we sell a lot of men’s wear in London,” said Duffy.
He added the company would be keeping its local wholesale accounts at stores including Harvey Nichols and Browns. Earlier this week, Selfridges opened a 1,000-square-foot Marc by Marc Jacobs space, offering the largest selection of the label in Europe.
Duffy said he believes London customers’ tastes and buying patterns will be similar to those of New Yorkers. “Every designer who works with us is British, so already there’s a similar sensibility,” he said.
Duffy said he’s eventually looking to set up an in-house European public relations office in the store’s basement. And he’s not ruling out more Marc by Marc Jacobs shows in London.
On Friday evening, Marc by Marc Jacobs will hold its first London show at Claridge’s. “I’ve wanted to show in London for years, and I do think the Marc by Marc line deserves more attention during fashion week. I’d love to show here in the future. Let’s see how it goes this season,” he said.
Duffy also is mulling over opening a design studio in London “at some point,” as most of the design staff is from here. He said the company sources many of its fabrics in England and Scotland.
Mount Street is only the beginning for Marc Jacobs in London. Duffy said he’s looking to open a Marc by Marc Jacobs store here when he finds the right space. “When something’s available, we’ll jump on it,” he said.
In the meantime, the brand isn’t sitting still. The company will open its second store in Dubai on March 10, followed by two stores in Moscow at the end of next month. Later this year, it will open units in Savannah, Chicago and Beirut, Lebanon.
The Beirut store was set to open last month, but has temporarily been put on hold. Duffy also is looking to form a joint venture to open stores in India.