Rails opens UK flagship and European HQ in Covent Garden

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Feb 22, 2022

US brand Rails has opened a UK flagship in London’s Covent Garden, at 13 Floral Street. On the same street as long-time occupier Paul Smith, the new store aims to “bring a taste of laid-back Los Angeles lifestyle to London, offering customers an elevated take on California’s quintessentially effortless style”.

It covers 2,000+ square feet and has an airy interior “designed to reflect the brand’s Southern California roots, updated with a polished European sensibility”.

The store features both the label’s menswear and womenswear and aims to highlight “the full scope of the brand” in a physical setting, something that’s only been available online for UK customers before now. 

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The company said it has “a highly engaged and loyal online UK consumer” so the investment in the opening makes sense. Of course, given its Covent Garden location, we assume the hope is also that it reaches the lucrative tourist market once tourism gets back on to a more normal footing in the next few years.

The store has a minimalist colour palette and bright natural lighting, vintage textiles and accented wood detailing, “offset with succulent landscaping for a sense of serenity in the bustling heart of the British capital”.

The company said the opening is “a major step in the brand’s retail expansion” following recent debuts in New York, San Francisco, Newport Beach, and Paris. It also has “plans to open a second London store in another sought after location this spring”.

But that won’t detract from the importance of the Covent Garden site that’s actually also its UK and European headquarters, with an office and sales showroom on the lower floor.

Founder and Creative Director Jeff Abrams said: “The UK is among our most important international markets and where we have a strong network of retail partners such as Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Harrods, Trilogy, and more than 70 independent accounts. It is organically a place where we feel very at home. We are excited to continue to invest in this market, and continue to cultivate the great network we have, while connecting directly with our customers through a bricks-and-mortar experience.”