Liberty London: A Place of Fashion and History
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Today, I take you to one of my favorite spots in the English capital. Between wood paneling and floral fabrics, Liberty London is much more than just a department store. It’s a place where time stands still and where fashion and history become one. This labyrinth of inspirations has established itself, over the course of 150 years, as an exceptional place for brands and designers to be showcased. Join us in discovering this fascinating place!
How did ships transform into a department store?
Just steps away from the hustle and bustle of Regent Street and Carnaby Street lies a stunning architectural gem that rivals the crown jewels. Its long timber-framed facade, antique clock, and bridge invite us to travel back in time to an enchanting place, showcasing Tudor style and intricately carved woodwork. But did you know that this building is filled with many secrets, including the fact that it was partly constructed using wood from two English ships?
With its exceptional facade, Liberty London continues to amaze us once we step inside. After a charming florist corner, the swinging doors open into a fascinating world.
Before us stands a majestic hall, revealing a glass roof surrounded by six floors, constructed in walkways and forming three atriums, along with small rooms. Floors, walls, beams, and stairs come alive in a dark and warm wood, crafted in the Tudor style of the period and adorned with numerous details. Featuring carved animals, imposing fireplaces, and chandeliers, the place is simply sumptuous and offers a unique setting for the designers showcased here.
The history of this wonderful place dates back to 1924. Following the success of its first location, opened in 1875 on Regent Street, Arthur Liberty decided to open a second, larger store on the perpendicular street, Great Marlborough Street.
While brands nowadays use the term “flagship” as a metaphor for their headquarters, the visionary took the spirit of the word literally when creating his new building. Indeed, Liberty London was constructed under the supervision of architects Edwin T. Hall and Edwin S. Hall, incorporating the remains of two British warships. More than 24,000 square meters of wood from these ships, including their decks, were used to create this place and give it a touch of the past. You can discover more details about the fascinating history of the place on their website.
Very quickly, the architecture of Liberty London became its brand image, so much so that we find it on various products, such as mugs, puzzles, and Christmas ornaments. Moreover, to await the arrival of the holidays, the store has been designing for several years an advent calendar featuring its silhouette!
Liberty London: a meeting place for fashion, beauty, and lifestyle
Created to bring together pieces from around the world, Liberty London has crafted a unique DNA since its opening. A strong mix of influences, it even led to its name being used in Italy, where the art nouveau period was referred to as “Liberty Style”.
Even today, the brand offers visibility to numerous brands and creators from various backgrounds. Consequently, this wooden labyrinth reveals, as you wander through its rooms, ready-to-wear creations, home linen, decor, tableware, perfumes, skincare, grocery items, fresh flowers, stationery, books, and even board games. Furthermore, at the end of the year, the top floor transforms into a paradise for holiday lovers, featuring a vast section devoted to Christmas decorations.
In itself, wandering through Liberty gives us the impression of visiting a museum. Our minds travel through meters of colorful fabrics, Mediterranean porcelain, and other perfumers’ scents. We also find a LOEWE Perfumes corner!
Discovering the birthplace of Liberty Fabrics
In addition to fascinating the world with its treasures, the store has been influencing trends for over a century with its floral fabric. Imagined by its founder in the 1880s, Liberty Fabrics quickly established itself as the quintessential avant-garde design. Reinventing itself over the years and through collaborations, Liberty fabric has been adorned with numerous patterns since its inception, reaching over 45,000 designs documented in its archives.
Today, it continues to be printed near Lake Como, in the brand’s workshops. Combining tradition and innovation, artisans decorate various materials with this floral pattern, including the Tana Lawn cotton, which is Liberty’s signature fabric.
A new fabric collection has just been revealed for SS25, celebrating Liberty’s 150th anniversary!
Used for both ready-to-wear and interior decoration, Liberty Fabrics also inspires beautiful creative collaborations. This was the case a few months ago when Lady Whistledown infiltrated the wooden store to unveil a collection inspired by Bridgerton. Several prints were thus designed and brought to life in settings inspired by Shonda Rhimes’ hit series.
How are collaborations highlighted at Liberty?
Continuing on the theme of collaborations, which is one of the major pillars of Liberty London. With the desire to bring together pieces and know-how from around the world since its inception, the store offers a central place to creators, brands, and even films and series within its premises. Thus, in addition to creating window displays in their honor, the London address thinks big, crafting XXL installations in the heart of its hall.
Following the last 100% British collection The Edit by Alexa Chung x Barbour, it is the Parisian brand Sézane that has been put in the spotlight. On this occasion, a giant mannequin greeted us at the entrance, alongside giant spools of thread, buttons, and scissors.
These installations celebrate all the imagination and craftsmanship of the in-house creative studio of Liberty. Its artists and artisans create worlds honoring creativity, always with a touch of magic, as is currently the case with the Land of Oz being reimagined for the upcoming release of Wicked.
Between enchanted windows and giant wizard heads, Elphaba and Glinda have inspired Liberty for its decor as well as a few exclusive products! Indeed, Liberty fabric prints, hairbrushes, and other R.E.M Beauty makeup ranges are revealed on this occasion in the musical’s colors.
On this note, stay tuned for our upcoming discussion about the film!
