Shop our edit of the collection as founders Emma Farrow, Rachel Morgans and Caren Downie tell us all about their brand…
Good news, fash fans. Contemporary label Finery London has a new collection that’s set to amp up our wardrobe options - big time.
Launched back in spring, the relatively new label has quickly become our go-to for trend-led pieces, that won't blow the budget, and this summer is no different.
Founded by high street heavyweights Caren Downie (former ASOS fashion director), Rachel Morgans (ASOS's old head buyer) and Emma Farrow (the chief designer who turned Topshop Unique into LFW's hottest ticket), it's fair to say that this brand is in some very secure, fast-fashion-savvy hands.
Team Finery have set out to give us luxe fabrics and cool cuts at affordable price points (hoorah!) and, judging by the huge success of their launch offering, the insider label looks set to remain one of our favourite high street destinations.
Want to know why? Founders Emma and Caren tell us everything we need to know about the brand, plus we pick just a few of our favourite pieces from the summer collection...
What is Finery London? Emma: ‘We're offering beautifully considered garments at an affordable price point; we believe that we are filling a gap in the market. The high street has been very focused on margin since the recession and the love for clothes has, we feel, been lost along the way and we hope to bring some of that back.’
Describe your design ethos, what makes Finery different from everything else on the high street? Emma: ‘Everyone is looking at the same information and following the same trends. We want to have our own opinion and hope that our customers will come to love our unique handwriting.’
Rachel: ‘Women are much better informed now on fashion and more confident with creating their individual style. We wanted to be able to capture the essence of this in one collection. We aren’t about dictating fashion – these pieces can create different looks for different girls.’
What’s been the reaction so far? Emma: ‘In November we 'soft launched' the site to a number of friends and family which allowed us to trial the site and make sure that everything was in working order for our official launch on the 5th February. We had the most overwhelming response and everyone has been incredibly complimentary on not just the collection, but the site's aesthetic as well. There were a number of items that sold out in this period, like the Harling Breton Striped top, too.
Where are your clothes being made? Caren: We are working with some of the best manufacturers in the world, based on our teams extensive experience and relationships. It’s India for embroidery and embellishment, Portugal for shoes. Over 20 per-cent of our product is manufactured in the UK though, where we are able to have a closer link to the production process whilst supporting the UK industry.
How do you see the brand growing? Caren: ‘We will take one step at a time, we do have big global ambitions and in the future would hope that we are present in many more countries, and have a loyal customer base of Finery girls around the world always waiting for the next collection. It’s critical that we keep the culture and ethos of the company as one that ‘thinks big, acts small’ throughout this journey.’
Emma: ‘We don't consider ourselves to be taking on the high street giants as we won't ever be a high street giant [like the rest]. We will continue the ideology behind this first collection - a beautifully curated and edited collection.
See more of the Finery London collection in the gallery above.