Kate Spade New York has unveiled a brand new pop-up in Londons Selfridges. And its bringing some much-needed colour (and fun) to a very grey November.
Known for their quirky prints and playful use of colour, this American-born brand has been making waves in the UK since their first store here opened in 2010. We caught up with the woman spreading all the sunshine: the brands President and Chief Creative Officer Deborah Lloyd.
How would you describe to someone discovering it for the first time?
Its a New York brand that was started 20 years ago; we like to say that our girl has an uptown graciousness with a downtown edge; shes not totally perfect. She likes to be the centre of attention, she likes to go to a party. Shes quick, curious, playful and strong. Weve identified our girl, and thats who I design for.
How have you found the reception of Kate Spade New York in the UK?
Its been a real pleasure to bring the girl to the UK. Im a Brit, heading up the design side of the brand. The Brits, we like our whimsy and we like our wit. I do find the girls here put it together in a slightly different way, which is always great for me to see. You get a bit more edge in London, I think.
What made you choose Selfridges for your Pop-Up store?
This [Duke street] used to be the entrance, when I was growing up, that Id come in, because this is where Miss Selfridge was, this was where the fashion happened in London. Years, and I never went in the front entrance of Selfridges, so its quite exciting for me to be here in Duke Street. Its really sort of a ta-da to the world, here.
Tell us about the current collection
It was inspired by pink champagne. Imagine when you pop the cork on pink champagne - the colours, the bubbles, the soft pinks and the neutrals and everything. Sparkling pinks. And actually I was lucky enough to go to Sonoma to mix our own sparkling wine we mixed our twentieth anniversary champagne. It was pink, so when I was putting that all together it inspired all the colours.
