We are celebrating 10 years in Spitalfields with a brand new renovation of our Hanbury St store. In stark contrast to our contemporary yet conventional flagship on Lamb’s Conduit St, Bloomsbury, our newly renovated Spitalfields store projects a futuristic, supermarket-style approach with stainless steel refrigerators, reflective surfaces and 360 LED display. Our new concept store holds a curated edit of the season's best-selling Umbrellas.
“Many customers who visit us in East London know exactly what they’re after before they arrive as they’re familiar with the product online. There is a lot more spontaneity, particularly during wet weather, so we wanted to accommodate this, making the retail experience super-convenient and as enjoyable as possible” says Jamie Milestone, London Undercover founder.
Launching in 2008, London Undercover was (proudly) one of the first in the fashion world to make product with recycled materials. As we have grown, we have endeavoured to further our sustainability through quality of product, encouragement of longevity and the continued development of innovative and environmentally-friendly materials. The introduction of a speciality Coffee Bar into the new space highlights our use of recycled coffee beans which repurposes used coffee grounds to form a silky umbrella fabric with natural UV protection. Something we launched in 2019.
“We had a coffee shop pop up planned pre-pandemic to promote our recycled coffee range, but the forced closure of our stores unfortunately put a stop to that. With shoppers back visiting us again and the desire to do something different with the space, we felt it was the perfect time to revisit the concept and accommodate it into the store.”
London Undercover has enlisted certified B Corporation and fellow East Enders, Ozone Coffee to supply the perfect blend of beans. Sitting alongside the coffee is a fantastic selection of fresh, slow fermented zero waste sourdough buns which gives its name to the coffee bar and current project. ‘Morning Bun’. The store will rotate local bakers and makers every few months.
“We wanted it to be a fun, interactive, thought-provoking space” says Danielle Kaye, our Creative Director whose CV boasts experience in the luxury fashion sector with the likes of Selfridges, Harrods & Matchesfashion.com “We were inspired by a trip to Seoul and the wonderfully random combinations of offerings in one location. We wanted people to walk in and say ‘I don’t know what’s going on here but I know I like it.”
"With the area having transformed over the last few years into one of the capital’s main food-hubs, our mixed offering has attracted customers that may not have previously walked through the door. This has increased our visibility and allowed us to introduce people to the product we’re so very proud of.”
London Undercover, 20 Hanbury St, London E1 6QR
