Sign up to receive the Vogue Business newsletter for the latest luxury news and insights, plus exclusive membership discounts.
Alice Temperley has her foot on the gas. After stripping her Temperley London brand right back during the pandemic, the British designer last year sold a controlling stake to a Dubai-based retail firm, staying on as creative director. Now, the brand is preparing to open a flagship store in London and relaunch wholesale for its main line. And that’s just the start.
“During Covid, I had no team — we shrunk right down. Now, it’s growing back up,” she says.
We meet at the store, which is on Sloane Street in an affluent part of London. It’s a week before the 30 October opening and workmen are busy painting and putting up the finishing touches. Even with no stock in yet, it is clear this is going to be an immersion into the opulent, bohemian Temperley world — already there are chandeliers, a gilded sales desk, a vintage mirrored bar and leopard print sofas, with more still to come. The ground floor will carry ready-to-wear, eveningwear and accessories, while downstairs is for bridal and heritage (special pieces from the archive). The latter space can also be used for bridal fitting appointments, bespoke tailoring services, personal shopping and events.
When I walk in, Temperley is behind the bar and passes me a glass of rum produced by one of her friends. We sit on one of the leopard sofas and her dog Guinness curls up at my feet. My first question is, why a bricks-and-mortar flagship? Temperley London has had a small pop-up on nearby Draycott Avenue for the past few years, but this 310-square-metre permanent space is a much bigger investment. (Its last flagship on Bruton Street closed at the end of 2020.)
Relying on e-commerce has its limitations for a brand like Temperley London, she says. “It’s a false economy for luxury dresses. If somebody orders four dresses in different sizes, they know that they can return most of them. The cost of having them out of the business for that time is nuts, especially if they’re in America or anywhere you have to pay duty to send it back. It’s out for a month. Precious pieces need a flagship.”
The opening marks an important milestone for the brand, which Temperley founded in 2000 after graduating from the Royal College of Art. Over the years she gained a loyal following, but when Brexit hit, it drove up costs (Temperley London sources the bulk of its materials from Italy) — and then, the world went into lockdown. In 2021, Temperley filed for administration and restructured the business with a focus on direct-to-consumer sales and trunk shows, though it continued to wholesale bridal. She also moved its head office operations from London to Somerset.
Almost exactly a year ago, in November 2023, it was announced that Temperley had sold a majority stake in the business to Times Square Group and its investment arm Luxutte Capital. Founded by Indian businessman Ritesh Punjabi, the group operates brands including Manolo Blahnik, Furla and Sergio Rossi in the Middle East. Temperley agreed to stay on as creative director, and Luca Donnini remained as CEO (Donnini joined Temperley in 2019 from Guess Europe, where he was president).
The group’s location in Dubai was a draw: 20 per cent of Temperley London’s sales come from the Middle East, with stores in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. “They have the knowledge to grow the business in the Middle East — and they have understanding of the Indian market,” says Temperley. “They have the confidence to deal with that side of the world, and we are left to drive America, [the UK] and Europe, and everywhere else. It’s a perfect partnership.” (Outside of the UK and Ireland, the brand sells in the US, Italy, Japan, Central and South America, the Middle East, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Turkey and Cyprus.)
Sales have rebounded and the brand is now approaching £10 million in annual turnover. The boho revival may have helped, though Temperley rolls her eyes at the idea that the business is at the whim of passing trends. “We’ve never tried to be anything else, it’s not like we’ve ever been minimalist or avant-garde. This is what we think is beautiful, so this is what we know will sell.” Bridal, which makes up half of Temperley’s sales, has remained reassuringly steady.
It’s an interesting time to venture back into wholesaling a main line, given just how in flux the UK market is following the collapse of Matches and the sale of Yoox Net-a-Porter. For Temperley, it comes back to the need to have a physical presence where customers can see and touch the product. “It means people in, say, Edinburgh or Bath will be able to go and try things on. [Wholesale] also helps get your production numbers up, which will then help with your margin. It’s very hard for brands to just rely on direct-to-consumer.” Following presentations during New York, London and Milan fashion weeks, Temperley has more than 50 stockists lined up for Spring/Summer 2025 across ready-to-wear and bridal.
Next on the agenda is a flagship in the States, the location of which remains under debate. “They [American consumers] love all of our eveningwear and decorative dresses,” says Temperley. Away from the US, Milan is on the list of cities to consider. “We’ve got a Milan showroom and the Italian market has been good to us.”
Category expansion is also on the cards, including accessories, bags, footwear and even nightwear. But Temperley’s advice to the next generation of independent designers? Do the opposite. “Focus on one thing, rather than too much. The moment you expand, it’s incredibly difficult to wholesale because you have to go to multiple showrooms or multiple buyers [across different categories]. There are so many people doing so many different things. You have to specialise.”
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com.
More from this author:
Traditional retail can’t keep up with Gen Z. Is this the answer?
