Schiaparelli opens London Harrods boutique as luxe emporium bounces back

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jan 17, 2023

Maison Schiaparelli is the latest luxury brand to open a boutique inside high-end London department store Harrods. It’s the very first UK flagship for the label in what it sees as a “milestone shopping destination” in Britain’s capital. 

This is no mere department store corner and the company said it’s “designed as an exclusive and desirable setting reflecting the spirit of the Maison”. Available there is a range of ready-to-wear pieces, including tailoring, eveningwear and signature designs “to address the surge in demand from British customers”.

The opening is yet a further sign of how physical retail is recovering in key shopping destinations in the UK. Even though the axing of VAT-free shopping for tourists has hurt its appeal as a must-visit shopping destination, London remains one of the world’s key shopping cities. 

Harrods is benefiting from this and has seen a number of key openings in the past year. Only last month, Georges Hobeika opened a pop-up inside Harrods ahead of a permanent boutique that opens there this month.

And the festive takeover of the store by Dior was the ultimate sign of how highly-rated London’s luxe department stores are by luxury brands. 

But it’s not all about ultra-luxury and last month premium Italian outerwear brand Napapijri also joined in with a pre-Christmas Harrods pop-up.

Back with Schiaparelli, as well as the RTW, the brand’s best-selling leather goods, such as the Secret and Face handbag collections, are available in a wide range of colourways and fabrics, as are “the most limited edition styles, like the bijoux Face bag”. 

The company added that “a full range of additional leather goods and accessories, such as Schiaparelil’s signature jewellery collection, will be an important part of the product offer in the boutique”.

Creative Director Daniel Roseberry wanted to evoke the look and feel of the Place Vendôme, Paris, atelier and “took inspiration for the space from the Maison’s rich creative heritage, with references to Jean Michel Frank, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali and other culturally defining Schiaparelli collaborators”.