Why Now Was The Right Time For Amazon Fashion To Launch Its First UK Pop-Up Shop

Virgil Abloh has already popped up in London this week with a Wizard of Oz-inspired concept store selling his first spring/summer 2019 menswear collection for Louis Vuitton. Next up, it’s the turn of Amazon Fashion, which has opened its first bricks-and-mortar shop in the EU on Baker Street.

From October 23 – 27, Londoners will be able to purchase a revolving edit of women’s and menswear pieces. Autumn/winter 2018 trends will be the priority for the first two days, followed by fitness gear on the third, and street and partywear on the final days. Events including a beauty trends panel discussion hosted by Vogue beauty and lifestyle director Jessica Diner, a yoga session with Deliciously Ella founder Ella Mills, and Pepe Jeans denim customisation will also be peppered throughout the schedule, along with DJ and acoustic music sets. In short, if you stop by there will be something fabulous going on.

“We’re always looking for ways to offer our customers new experiences and we felt there was no better time than now to launch our first pop up,” Susan Saideman, Amazon Fashion vice president for Europe, tells Vogue of bringing the success stories the company has had with physical retail stores for Amazon books, devices and groceries in the US to the UK.

Products from the roster of brands, including Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Levi’s and Puma, can be purchased in store or virtually using Amazon’s SmileCode scanning technology. Saideman promises that it’s far easier than it sounds: “Customers simply open the Amazon shopping app on their mobile device, select the ‘camera’ option to search for a product, and then scan the Smilecode. This will then take them directly to the product page on Amazon."

Naturally, any glossy new pop-up calls for a party. The opening night of the store saw Lara Stone, Pixie Geldof, Gemma Chan, Mary Charteris, Rafferty Law and Maddi Waterhouse browse the rails – each in head-to-toe Amazon Fashion, no less – and set the tone for the days ahead. So, could the celebratory atmosphere sway the company to take up a permanent residence in Europe? "We never say never but right now we don’t have anything to announce," says Saideman.