New concept crush: Boutique 1 opens its doors on London’s Sloane Street

Sporting its own café, outdoor dining courtyard and curated interiors selection, Middle Eastern retailer Boutique 1’s new Sloane Street concept store is London’s latest destination shopping address.

Spread across 12,000 sq ft and featuring an enviable international designer edit, ranging from contemporary athleisure to red carpet showstoppers (with a satisfyingly broad price point range to match), the light-filled store is the retailer’s first in Europe, joining locations in Abu Dhabi, Beirut and Dubai.

’With its café, courtyard and entrances on Sloane Street and Pavilion Road, we hope to create a premier fashion destination that is at the very heart of the local community,’ says Ziad Matta, co-founder and co-CEO of the Boutique 1 Group.

The London brick-and-mortar plan was hatched after the UK consistently ranked number two in terms of the retailer’s global online sales. Its manifestation is set out like a mini-department store, including accessories, jewellery, shoes and beachwear, spread across two lofty floors.

Working with a neutral palette, oak and unpolished travertine have been accented with brushed brass and sandblasted limestone walls, while contemporary furnishings are dotted about. Downstairs, adjacent to the retailer’s homewares and gifting offering, is April’s Café, developed in collaboration with Pablo Flack and David Waddington of Bistrotheque, and serving breakfast and lunch in line with the store’s opening hours.

Further picking up the pace come October, Boutique 1 is also relauching its online presence, which will be even more geared towards the service needs of the European market, while the Sloane Street location will also facilitate a click-and-collect service. So whether you are after fashion’s next big thing – they have an exclusive on Parisian label Atlein – or a new cult accessory – perhaps Marco de Vincenzo’s plaited sandals in velvet – this is the place for some serious retail refreshment this autumn.