The Shop at Bluebird opens in Covent Garden, takes over as flagship

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
May 15, 2018

Luxury concept store The Shop at Bluebird has opened its much-anticipated new flagship location with a debut on London’s Floral Street, just down the road from the street’s most famous tenant, Paul Smith.

In the heart of Covent Garden, it marks a key development in the area’s increasing move to luxury rather than premium and mass-market retailing.

Set over three floors, the Carriage Hall building blends the original historic design with modern touches and makes the most of the copious natural light allowed in through the roof to the central courtyard area.

It feels quirkier than the original Bluebird flagship, which opened 12 years ago on London’s King’s Road. That location closed back in March and it will be interesting to see how (or whether) the clientele changes in its new home. While the King’s Road site benefitted from an extremely affluent catchment area in Chelsea, Covent Garden has much heavier visitor traffic all through the week and is a more concentrated shopping area, which is also a magnet for tourists.

The new location houses a selected mix of designers and artists over 15,000 sq ft of a historic coach house. Brands include Chloé, Alexander McQueen, Peter Pilotto, Victoria Beckham, Racil, Galvan, Temperley London and Ports 1961, alongside contemporary labels such as Isa Arfen, Rixo London, Ganni and Forte Forte.

The 19th century Grade II-listed building is characterised by that large, hidden courtyard with three galleried floors built around it. And the Jigsaw-owned company said “the eclectic and whimsical décor and props create a ‘Playground of Wonders’ theme.”

But it’s not all about fashion. A restaurant and roof terrace will open on the top floor this summer and  Blink Brow Bar, Italian lifestyle brand Fornasetti and the Avery Perfume Gallery all have dedicated spaces in the store. A wall of artworks features on the first floor, curated exclusively by William Ling from the Fashion Illustration Gallery. 

Buying direct Claire Miles said: “For the past 12 years, The Shop at Bluebird has been London's best keep secret. A place to shop for luxury fashion, contemporary art and industry favourite beauty brands in a setting unlike anywhere else in our city. Our success story until now is the foundation of our new home in central London, where we’ll be creating a whole new chapter for the brand and taking experiential retailing to another level.”