AllSaints began as a menswear brand that was sold exclusively to luxury department stores such as Harvey Nichols and Harrods. The brand was founded in 1994 by Stuart Trevor and Kait Bolongaro. It took its name from Trevor's nickname, Saint, meaning holy, and All Saints Road (All Saints) in London's fashionable Notting Hill district.
AllSaints today sells menswear, womenswear, footwear and accessories in 281 shops and employs around 2,400 staff in 27 countries including the UK, France, Ireland, USA, Mexico, Canada, Japan, South Korea and China.
All saints of Notting Hill
The company was named after Stuart Trevor's nickname "Saints", after his initials ST and All Saints Road in Notting Hill, London, where he spent most of his time. The first standalone AllSaints shop opened in Foubert Place on Carnaby Street in London on All Saints Day in 1997. The company's first womenswear collection appeared the following year.
From mid-2004 fashion financier Kevin Stanford, co-founder of womenswear chain Karen Millen, bought out a stake in the company. A year later, he took it over entirely and then sold 35% to the Icelandic investment firm Baugur Group.
Between 2009 and 2010 AllSaints grew rapidly around the world, launching online shops and opening its first US shop in New York, later in Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Washington DC, Santa Monica, Seattle and Chicago. In 2016, AllSaints launched boutiques in Italy, Turkey, Chile, Peru, Qatar, Taiwan and Dubai.
In October 2018 AllSaints partnered with Revlon to launch its first fragrances line including Metal Wave, Incense City and Sunset Riot.
Downs and ups
In April 2011, due to the rapid expansion and collapse of Baugur Group, All Saints was £53 million in debt and on the brink of collapse. The company was saved from disaster by Lion Capital LLP. In 2012 Wil Beedle, formerly men's design director, was made head of the creative team, overseeing the design and creative vision for all product categories. Lion Capital appointed William Kim, an industry veteran, who spent several years at Gucci Group and Burberry, as CEO. Under his leadership the company turned around its fortunes, achieving financial success.
Among other things, Kim was responsible for expansion in Asia, where he focused on the airport retail sector. He served until 2018. His successor Peter Wood developed the business in three areas: increased investment in core apparel, digital marketing and social media.
The brand launched its first complex handbag line "The Capital Collection" in September 2015. AllSaints sells menswear, womenswear, footwear and accessories through its department stores, independent retailers and website.
Activism, philanthropy and pop culture
AllSaints has had a relationship with popular culture since its launch. Young American and British celebrities have been seen and photographed wearing their clothes at events and entering or leaving AllSaints shops.
The company is heavily involved in collaborations with the music industry, resulting in collaborative projects with Kings of Leon, Blonde Redhead and Dum Dum Girls. AllSaints hosts a series of live music performances in Los Angeles entitled "The LA Sessions". Artists such as OneRepublic, Echosmith and Mikky Ekko, among others, have taken part in them. The brand's name drops in a song by English rapper Tina Tempah and Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z.
AllSaints has a strong commitment to social causes. In the summer of 2011 it entered into a long-term partnership with Not For Sale and launched a t-shirt line with profits going towards fighting human trafficking. At the time it also released a short documentary called Voices of the Cloth to promote British design and manufacturing.
The British clothing brand supports charities: Shelter which deals with people in crisis of homelessness, Kaleidoscope Trust which fights for the rights of LGBTQ+ people and the anti-racist Black Minds Matter UK. AllSaints is a member of the Better Cotton Initiative and in 2020 joined the British Retail Consortium's climate commitment to reduce CO2 emissions to zero by 2040.
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