John Lewis finds success with Alice Temperley

Somerset by Alice Temperley, the exclusive fashion brand launched by the eponymous British fashion designer in collaboration with John Lewis, has smashed all forecasts to become the fastest selling brand in the department store’s history.The

60-piece collection, which launched on September 4, took eleven times the sales usually seen for a brand launch in just one day and hit its weekly sales targets by mid afternoon.

To deal with the expected success the retailer’s flagship store on London’s Oxford Street opened early to hundreds of shoppers queuing to buy an Alice Temperley piece. These early bird shoppers took a fifth of the brand’s first day sales in just half an hour.

John Lewis also added that more than half of the collection’s total sales were completed online, and the website shoppers snapped up half the online allocation of the highest priced item of the collection - the £999 shearling coat.

Other best sellers included Somerset by Alice Temperley’s classic black high waisted trousers and the footwear range immediately became the number one footwear brand.

Jo Hooper, Head of Buying, Womenswear said: “Alice and I are thrilled by customers’ enthusiasm for the Somerset by Alice Temperley brand. These levels of sales for a brand launch are totally unprecedented at John Lewis.

“We can’t wait to unveil the second phase of the AW12 collection and are excited by what Alice has developed for SS13 as we build on the Somerset by Alice Temperley brand for seasons to come.”

A second drop of Somerset by Alice Temperley, comprising of jacquard knits, leather trousers and pieces for the forthcoming party season, such as embellished tops and beaded full length evening gowns, will hit John Lewis shops and www.johnlewis.com in early October.