Lifestyle
10 Things We Love About Liberty
A trip to the historic London shop is as thrilling now as it was in the 19th-century.
When Arthur Lasenby Liberty opened his eponymous department store in 1875, his vision was of a ‘London emporium laden with luxuries and fabrics from distant lands’. A former draper’s assistant, he wanted ‘metaphorically to dock a ship in the city streets’. His cornucopia of wonderful things has been thriving ever since. Unlike many of its competitors, Liberty reported a leap in sales in the 2021/2022 financial year.
One of the explanations for Liberty’s enduring success is how well the shop knows its customer. Womenswear buying manager Larissa Strange recently said: ‘When incorporating Liberty’s heritage into our buys, we always think of our customer first. She has a very refined taste and comes to us for a unique edit that is trend-relevant yet has a consistent overall direction.’
Here, we list the ways in which we love Liberty.
We love that the Grade II-listed shop on Great Marlborough Street was built with timber from two ancient battleships, HMS Impregnable and HMS Hindustan. Its creaky, worn floorboards and banisters are still part of its charm (as are the carved wooden animals that are hidden around the store).
We love that Oscar Wilde called Liberty ‘the chosen resort of the artistic shopper’.
Image: Napoleon Sarony, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
We love the fact that, ancient though it is, Liberty has had more than 30 billion views on TikTok.
We love that Liberty’s loyalty programme awards you a £10 voucher for every £200 you spend. It comes in a gift card in the post and is among the greatest things to land on the doormat each quarter.
We love that, as well as its numerous shopping departments, Liberty’s six floors house a barber, florist, piercing studio, dog groomer and Arthur’s Café, the art deco eatery that serves brunch, lunch, tea and cocktails throughout the day.
We love that Arthur Liberty borrowed £2,000 from his father-in-law to get the store started – proof that the Bank of Mum and Dad is nothing new. He repaid the loan within 18 months.
We love that the fabrics that were designed in the store’s infancy are just as relevant, pretty and recognisable in 2023. Liberty’s vast print archive is a national treasure, encompassing over 45,000 designs that date from the 1800s to the present day.
We love that Arthur Liberty lived and breathed his iconic shop. When he died in 1917 – and left behind a fortune but no children – his gravestone was created by Liberty’s chief designer, Archibald Knox.
We love that, in order to reduce carbon emissions and offset increased energy costs, Liberty is planning to install solar panels at the factory near Milan where it prints all its fabrics.
When Arthur Liberty conceived the shop, he said he was ‘determined not to follow existing fashions but to create new ones’. We love that it remains at the cutting edge of style to this day.
By Becky Ladenburg
February 2023
One of the explanations for Liberty’s enduring success is how well the shop knows its customer. Womenswear buying manager Larissa Strange recently said: ‘When incorporating Liberty’s heritage into our buys, we always think of our customer first. She has a very refined taste and comes to us for a unique edit that is trend-relevant yet has a consistent overall direction.’
Here, we list the ways in which we love Liberty.
ONE
We love that the Grade II-listed shop on Great Marlborough Street was built with timber from two ancient battleships, HMS Impregnable and HMS Hindustan. Its creaky, worn floorboards and banisters are still part of its charm (as are the carved wooden animals that are hidden around the store).
TWO
We love that Oscar Wilde called Liberty ‘the chosen resort of the artistic shopper’.
Image: Napoleon Sarony, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
THREE
We love the fact that, ancient though it is, Liberty has had more than 30 billion views on TikTok.
FOUR
We love that Liberty’s loyalty programme awards you a £10 voucher for every £200 you spend. It comes in a gift card in the post and is among the greatest things to land on the doormat each quarter.
FIVE
We love that, as well as its numerous shopping departments, Liberty’s six floors house a barber, florist, piercing studio, dog groomer and Arthur’s Café, the art deco eatery that serves brunch, lunch, tea and cocktails throughout the day.
SIX
We love that Arthur Liberty borrowed £2,000 from his father-in-law to get the store started – proof that the Bank of Mum and Dad is nothing new. He repaid the loan within 18 months.
SEVEN
We love that the fabrics that were designed in the store’s infancy are just as relevant, pretty and recognisable in 2023. Liberty’s vast print archive is a national treasure, encompassing over 45,000 designs that date from the 1800s to the present day.
EIGHT
We love that Arthur Liberty lived and breathed his iconic shop. When he died in 1917 – and left behind a fortune but no children – his gravestone was created by Liberty’s chief designer, Archibald Knox.
NINE
We love that, in order to reduce carbon emissions and offset increased energy costs, Liberty is planning to install solar panels at the factory near Milan where it prints all its fabrics.
TEN
When Arthur Liberty conceived the shop, he said he was ‘determined not to follow existing fashions but to create new ones’. We love that it remains at the cutting edge of style to this day.
By Becky Ladenburg
February 2023
Becky Ladenburg
Features Editor
As The Guide's features editor, Becky has her discerning finger on the cultural pulse. She's also our go-to expert on the property market.
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