Away lands at Covent Garden's Seven Dials

Away, the direct to consumer luggage brand, has revealed the location of its first UK store will be Earlham Street in Covent Garden's Seven Dials area.

The store, which opens later this month, will run to 3,000 sq ft and will showcase the US brand's complete line of luggage and travel accessories, as well as a curated selection of other travel-sized products.

London-based designers and artists were brought in to re-imagine Away’s established and minimalistic aesthetic for the Seven Dials store interior, drawn from local architecture and style.

The store’s layout has been designed to guide visitors as they "build and customise their personal travel uniform", such as pairing a suitcase with a personal item or accessories, adding Away’s signature leather stickers, or a hand-painted monogram.

Away Co-founder and Chief Brand Officer Jen Rubio said: "We view our stores as much more than a place to just sell products, but as a hub to bring together a community of people who love to travel as much as we do, and to inspire them to plan their next trip. London is an incredible city that draws people from all over the world, so I’m thrilled to deepen our roots in this vibrant and global location.”

Sam Bain-Mollison, Head of Retail at real estate investment trust Shaftesbury said it was "thrilled" to land Away's first UK store. "The brand's innovative and premium products will complement the retail line up and grow the appeal of this emerging luxury market within a central London location. This type of exciting international brand will add to the shopping experience and Away will be a great fit for the high number of visitors and global travellers that shop at Seven Dials," Bain-Mollison said.

Away, which was founded by Rubio and Steph Korey in 2016, recently revealed that it had secured $50m in a series C fundraise to aid its global expansion, including its new London store. Its arrival at Seven Dials follows on from the news that men’s fashion brand Farah will be relocating and upsizing to 3 Earlham Street later in the year and the recent opening of the UK debut flagship store for Dutch eyewear brand, Ace & Tate.