In pictures: Essentiel Antwerp opens first London store

Belgian brand Essentiel Antwerp has opened its first standalone UK store at 27a Sloane Square in London.

The new 185 square metre space spans two floors and houses the brands full women’s ready-to-wear and accessories collection, offering Essentiel Antwerp’s quirky Belgium charm to the UK for the first time. The brand said it decided to open the store now based on its successful growth in both its UK distribution and webshop sales over the last couple of years.

“This store opening is a huge step forward for Essentiel Antwerp and the growth of our company both in the UK and globally,” CEO Esfan Eghtessadi said in a statement. “It has always been our dream to open a shop in London and we couldn’t be more excited!”

Creative director, Inge Onsea, added: “London has always been a huge source of inspiration when designing the collections so it feels right that we should have our own shop there.”

Founded in 1999 by couple Inge Onsea and Esfan Eghtessadi, the Belgian brand, known for its bold colour palettes, graphics and floral prints, has recently set its sights on expansion, opening three stores in the Netherlands last year as well as its second one in Germany.

Photo credit: Essentiel Antwerp