10 Questions with Alice Temperley

Temperley London has more than established itself as the quintessentially British brand. At its helm is Chief dreamer Alice Temperley, MBE who continues to create collections enmeshed in the eclectic prints, patterns and Somerset magic from her childhood and travels. With an iconic tribe of women in London who can’t make it to the Somerset flagship, the brand is now opening a shiny new boutique on Sloane Street. In an everchanging fashion landscape, one that prioritises quantity and pace, Temperley has resisted the temptations of the trend churn; instead establishing iconic pieces that never go on sale. Radical.

We caught up with Alice to pick her brain ahead of the new store opening!

This month you will be expanding to a flagship store in London. How did this move come about/ what does it mean for you personally and for the brand as a whole? 

It’s a very big moment for the brand as it’s a flagship where we can have all we do in one space for people to see and feel the product. We'll also have bridal there which has a very high demand… it’s something we have not had in London since COVID, which has made this part of the business very hard to grow. We also have eveningwear, ready-to-wear, and our homeware items with Romo.

It’s also important to have one flagship as we expand back into wholesale and more franchises and licences to grow the business. We have new partners that have enabled this and our aim is to grow the brand across all channels. I hope that it places us back on the map in terms of having the visibility that we lacked since COVID and will help carry the brand and everything that we have worked very hard for into the next chapter.

Maintaining spaces in Somerset and London and more globally, how does your creative process differ depending on where you’re working from?

In Somerset, there is space, focus, and creativity. That being said, it’s really important to mix it up with more time in London, with fabric mills, and of course traveling to suppliers. So much happens in London, but I am happy with action and then focus – half / half.

With the store opening on Sloane Street, how will you uphold that bohemian Somerset spirit within the city bustle of London life?

By spending half of my life in Somerset and half in London, keeping it real and going to the best bars and restaurants with a basket on my back with ciders and brandies. I’m not worried about losing my spirit if I can be creative and have my family and friends close.

What's your favourite thing about the new boutique?

The fact that everything is in one space and there is also a lot of space within the store itself – not just to showcase what we do, but to give people a proper shopping experience. The lower floor is exceptionally beautiful and a great private shopping, bespoke, and personal shopping space. There is also a mirrored bar with all of my family’s drinks which makes it super personal, too.

If you had to recommend one product from your new metamorphosis collection to buy, which would it be and why?

The knitted coats and separates that are arriving soon – I am really into comfort and now want to knit all my suits. Sleepwear is also coming and I could do with a month in bed in it.

Now that you are into over 20 years of having the brand, what continues to motivate and inspire your collections? 

I strive to make the company work and not to have my fingers in all areas. Being a founder has been hard with the challenges I have had along the way. With the investors, my aim would be to creatively direct while they expand it across the world… I would like to not be involved with logistics or with payment plans ever again.

Over the past few challenging years - with Brexit, post-Covid, with the retail landscape a bit of a mess - how have you navigated these pressures? 

It’s been a complete nightmare – stress, sleepless nights, going grey, worrying about everything... We stopped wholesaling, restructured, found investment, and focused on licencing during the pandemic – BA first class, Romo, stationary, sunglasses, etc. Now it’s time to focus on the collections again with time where we’re allowed to be creative (maybe with a long rest over the holidays!) 

What is the one product that is NOT your own, that you can't live without, or has stayed in your wardrobe for constant use, and why?

Lipstick as I think I have a plain face and it instantly makes me feel dressed up - must be something to do with my childhood. Flat shoes – I hate trainers but love lace up flats – I have loads of them for running around. I also love my leopard print YSL mac for much the same reason as the lipstick.

In 2023, you ceased all promotions within your business model, how has this impacted the way you have operated as a brand/ what change did you aim to inspire by doing this? 

The endless sales cycle and people waiting for markdowns… some of our dresses take months to make, a year to bring into reality - to put them on sale after three months is insanity. We produce less but keep our stock online - it keeps selling. Interestingly, things sell strongly past that three-month mark, which is people buying things right for that timing or seeing enough marketing or others in it. We also have a Somerset outlet that we sell from with a lot of virtual appointments.

Aside from of course the major expansion with the opening of your flagship store, what else is next for the brand? 

We are going to enter into the world of shoes, bags, and jewellery which is our partner’s speciality ... watch this space!