Swaine opens largest store ever on New Bond Street as part of “radical rebrand”
Swaine, one of the UK’s oldest luxury goods brands, founded in 1750 and formerly known as Swaine Adeney Brigg, has opened a new 7,000 sq ft flagship store at 126-127 New Bond Street “as the centrepiece of its most radical rebrand in 273 years”.
The new retail space, which complements the brand’s existing Burlington Arcade boutique, is the largest store in the brand’s history and will showcase its growing product offering in an environment that mirrors its new creative direction.
Housed in a handsome 19th Century building, the flagship consists of a ground floor and mezzanine level displaying Swaine’s full complement of men’s and women’s leather goods and luggage alongside Herbert Johnson hats and Brigg umbrellas – both brands of the Swaine family.
The ‘Rain Room’ is a focal point, as the space features hung Perspex column ‘icicles’ that create an abstract impression of rain, which are displaying the handmade umbrella range.
There is also dedicated areas for private appointments and bespoke services, as well as a museum, “charting the brand’s extensive pedigree”.
Swaine Adeney Brigg was recently rechristened as Swaine after its forefather, James Swaine, with a revamped house logo and revitalised product offering.
Swaine Chairman & CEO, Carine de Koenigswarter, said: “This rebirth is about investment, elevation and moving forward to capture a new audience and generation, while maintaining our hallmark of understated British elegance.”
After trading from premises in St James’s for almost three centuries, Swaine left the district in 2022, opening a boutique in Mayfair’s Burlington Arcade with the aim of later establishing a new flagship store “to better serve the needs of a future-facing heritage brand and its clientele”. That time has now come.
To design the flagship, Swaine enlisted the services of architectural firms Malherbe Paris and Atelier Architecture and Design, which have created concept spaces for LVMH, Harrods and the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Artworks depicting cultural icons synonymous with the brand’s signature designs decorate the space, from Winston Churchill and his attaché case to Indiana Jones and his trilby.
Workshops for both Swaine leather goods and Herbert Johnson hats are located above the store, where leather artisans and hatters will handcraft bespoke orders for clients and the UK armed forces. It continues the brand’s long tradition of manufacturing in the heart of the capital, setting a new standard of workmanship in London’s most prestigious retail district.
Carine de Koenigswarter added: “Having a workshop in the store is unique and reflects the direct relationship that Swaine wishes to build between the craftsman and the customer, allowing clients the opportunity to admire the meticulous work of the artisans on their bespoke piece.”
