Britain has long been a hub for great fashion and timeless style, with fantastic brands making the spotlight over the years. From luxurious classics to cutting edge style and the latest fast fashion trends, you can find brilliant homegrown brands that cover them all. And as a style capital, you’ll find many of these at home on the streets of London, where you can shop the best of their offerings.
Read on to find out about the top British clothing brands to look out for in London, and where to find them.
Topshop
Ever since it first came into being in the 1960s, Topshop has always represented an important part of youth fashion in Britain. While the brand has grown into a global name in recent decades, it still represents some of the best of contemporary style, featuring a variety of great clothing for men, women and children.
While there are several Topshop stores across London, the biggest is its original flagship store on Oxford Circus. A short journey away from the Park Grand Kensington, the store is a veritable mecca for fashion lovers, covering a massive 90,000 square feet, with an enormous selection of vintage, designer and its own brand collections. And if you find yourself getting lost in the maze of fashion, there are plenty of pit stops to refresh yourself within, including cupcake concessions, a restaurant, and even a salon to help you look your best for your new outfits.
Burberry
Founded in 1856 in Hampshire, the luxury brand, Burberry, first came into being as a practical outerwear label. When the label’s founder, Thomas Burberry invented the tough and wearable fabric known as gabardine, he revolutionized rainwear, taking it away from the heavy and uncomfortable garments people had been used to, and instead introducing lighter, more comfortable, and ultimately more attractive coats and jackets.
Within a few decades, the trusty Burberry gabardine trench became a popular piece for adventurers, explorers and even soldiers, making the brand an integral part of British style. And with its timeless and sophisticated appeal, it’s stood the test of time.
While Burberry has hundreds of stores across the world, its enormous flagship on Regent Street in London, close to the Kensington Rooms London, is a must-visit location for any fans of the brand. Housed in a Grade II listed building and designed into four different sections, the brand and its history are brought to life – with digital rain showers, thunderstorms, catwalk footage and more, for a truly unique shopping experience.
Well worth a visit on a day out, treat yourself to an Indian afternoon tea near me first, before indulging in the brand’s distinctive take on British luxury style.
Alexander McQueen
As a London-born and based designer, Alexander McQueen brought a unique sense of theatre and drama to British style, combining classic techniques in tailoring from Savile Row, with a cutting edge spirit that drew inspiration from music, art, and contemporary culture.
The result is clothing with flair and sophistication, and the brand’s Old Bond Street flagship is the best place to go when you want to immerse yourself in the creativity and passion behind the label. The store hints at the fairy tale inspirations that can often be found behind the label’s designs, with a woodland-themed space, spread across three floors that cover both their menswear and women’s wear ranges.
As well as the chance to browse all their latest collections, you’ll also find an extensive archive featuring past collections, as well as beautiful photography and artwork inspired by the brand, all paying homage to the late genius behind the brand. Whether you’re a dedicated lover of the label or someone interested in learning more about British fashion, this is a great place to visit, to experience and feel inspired by one of the country’s top talents.
Afina London
Based in Mayfair, the luxury swimwear brand is the ideal place to head to when you’re in need of something vibrant and beautifully crafted, before a big trip. With gorgeously colourful prints and designs, made from Italian fabrics and embellished with 24-carat gold plated details, this is swimwear like no other.
With plenty of other luxury boutiques to browse nearby, as well as the beautiful Park Grand Restaurant London in easy distance, head there when you’re in the mood for a seriously indulgent retail therapy day.
Harrods
While not just a clothing brand in itself, if you’re staying at the Park Grand Kensington and want to experience the best of British clothing labels, a trip to the world-famous London department store is a must. Established in 1824 as a draper, and later a grocer, the store soon became a thriving place for Londoners to find everything from perfume to fruits and vegetables and even debuted the very first “moving staircase” in England.
With the original Brompton Road site now covering a massive five-acre space with 330 departments within, you’ll find every kind of clothing brand imaginable inside, catering for menswear, women’s wear, children and even pets. Featuring everything from the latest fashion trends from designer labels to exquisitely crafted luxury pieces designed to stand the test of time, it’s the ideal place to find inspiration for your wardrobe.
Barbour
Though the classic brand has a more upmarket association these days, the classic workwear label started from humble origins, creating practical, weather-proof clothing that could stand up to the challenges of British weather. Their signature waxed cotton coats and jackets were soon a popular choice for everyone from sailors to motorcyclists, and their durable, practical pieces have graced everyone from the Royal Family to Hollywood’s elite stars.
Barbour’s flagship London store in Covent Garden is a fantastic place to visit, whether you’re a long time fan of the brand, or curious about the British style staple. Stocking a wide variety of all their collections, from hardy outerwear to more fashion-led pieces, it’s a great chance to give yourself a stylish British makeover.
