NYC lifestyle brand Away opens in London's Seven Dials

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Aug 20, 2018

The remoulding of London's Seven Dials area is continuing with its most prominent landlord, Shaftesbury, announcing another interesting new tenant.

Away, the New York-based lifestyle brand is this month opening in the area that has developed into a quirky shopping destination summed up by its characterful architecture and low-rise buildings. It now hosts a wide variety of independent brands and interesting international chains and has become a hotspot for beauty and lifestyle, as well as being a tourist magnet.

Tourists are attracted by its offbeat mix, as well as by a large number of stores catering specifically for their needs and Away fits into this latter category.

The retailer “designs thoughtful objects to make travelling more seamless” and has selected Seven Dials as home to its first permanent international store.

The 3,000 sq ft location, at 9 Earlham Street, showcases the brand’s complete line of premium luggage and travel accessories and also offers a curated selection of other travel-sized products.

Shaftesbury said that London-based designers and artists were brought in to “re-imagine Away’s established and minimalistic aesthetic for the Seven Dials store interior, drawn from local architecture and style.” The store’s layout was designed to “guide visitors as they build and customise their personal travel uniform, such as pairing a suitcase with a personal item or accessories, adding Away’s signature leather stickers, or hand-painted monogram, so the experience is equal parts discovery and self-direction—just like travel should be.”

Sam Bain-Mollison, Head of Retail at Shaftesbury, said that “this type of exciting international brand will add to the shopping experience and Away will be a great fit for the high number of visitors and global travellers that shop at Seven Dials.”

The opening follows the news that men’s fashion brand Farah will be relocating and upsizing to 3 Earlham Street later in the year and Away also joins the recently launched UK debut flagship store for Dutch eyewear brand, Ace & Tate. 

Shaftesbury has completed recent works to this road to enhance shop fronts, improve road surfaces, and widen pavements, “creating a more accessible and modern location for retailers and restaurants.”