John Varvatos sets up largest store to date in London

Contemporary menswear designer John Varvatos has opened his debut European flagship store on Conduit Street in London, ahead of the eponymous label expansion scheme throughout the continent. The 10,000 square-foot store, the brand's biggest store to date, opened

its doors on Friday and houses all of Varvatos' lines, including its sportswear range Star USA and his ongoing footwear collaboration with lifestyle brand Converse. The store's three-levelled retail space features the designers own personal style and offers a mix of vintage memorabilia such as records for sale in its basement.

John Varvatos London Store is "casually elegant"

“I wanted it to be very much a sense of who we are — very eclectic; it’s like coming into your home….I call it casually elegant,” said Varvatos to WWD. He added that the London store design is similar to the concept of his flagship store in Soho, New York, only grander.

In honor of the store's launch, Varvatos has also created a series of garments that are exclusive to the label's new London store, including limited-edition leather jackets and tailored made designs. “[The London store] allows us to do a lot of the things that are really in our DNA and soul.”

He added that he felt as if he was able to be “more experimental” with the products offered in London and the combination of customers his eponymous labels draws in was one of the main reasons he selected Conduit for his first European store.

“We didn’t want to be on Bond Street, even though it’s a beautiful street, as that kind of [customer] mix wouldn’t have happened. And if we just went to [East London’s] Shoreditch or something we wouldn’t get the other…customers,” he pointed out, adding that he has been searching for the right location on the street “since 2001.”

Varavos is set to continue expanding in the UK and aims to open another London store as well as a standalone accessories and footwear store whilst searching for other retail locations in major European cities such as Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Paris.

The designer is set to hold his an official opening party for the flagship store on September 3 and a John Varvatos double decker bus featuring the label's fall marketing campaign will drive the through the streets of London during the months of August and September, promoting the opening of the store.

Images: John Varvatos, the Conduit Street London Store