Byredo fans, brace yourselves. The cult Swedish fragrance and luxury bag brand is opening a three-storey flagship in London in June 2018. The townhouse, situated on Lexington Street in the heart of Soho, alongside fashion destinations Alex Eagle and A.P.C., will sell fragrances, leather goods (including the Byredo bag line, which launched last year), skincare and candles.
"London was one of our first markets and it's also one of our biggest markets," Byredo founder Ben Gorham told Business of Fashion. "As we expanded into multiple categories — our business is primarily wholesale through department stores — having our own retail extension has become a way for people to experience the Byredo universe in one place."
The London flagship store will also be home to collaborative projects, displayed in a gallery space. Last month, Sarah Andelman, the founder and creative director of Parisian concept store Colette teased a picture of "Elevator Music", a new fragrance created by Byredo in collaboration with Virgil Abloh and Off-White, launching soon.
As well as more collaborations, we can expect a number of new releases from the ever-growing Byredo empire. "Our vision will continue in the coming years with additional stores and retail exposure globally… Then within the categories you'll also see an evolution like in the beauty category where we're working on the idea of colour and skincare," Gorham told BoF. "I hope to be able to surprise people as we move forward."
Byredo was founded over a decade ago, in 2006, by Ben Gorham, a former basketball star with no direct experience in perfumery. Thanks to its aesthetically pleasing, clean packaging and unique scents (Gypsy Water is a personal favourite), the brand has swiftly risen to cult status. It also helps that Ben Gorham is the perfect ambassador for his own brand, with a circle of equally successful, cool friends including Frame cofounders Erik Torstensson and Jens Grede, and models Freja Beha and Erin Wasson.
Byredo already has stores in Stockholm and New York. Watch this space for more news on the London townhouse, opening soon.
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