Anthropologie Regent Street's living plant wall, Image via www.businessoffashion.com

Major lifestyle and clothing retail chain Anthropologie, with over 147 stores in the U.S., and six in Canada, operates only two stores outside of North America—both in London. That’s a far cry from parent company Urban Outfitters, which racks up an impressive twenty-five UK locations, plus sixteen others throughout Western Europe. Catering to the universal teenaged fast-fashion set, Urban Outfitters has been able to easily make a name for itself within the European market. Anthropologie’s two London locations are fairly new, and are definitely an experiment for the brand.  So why the “pessimistic economic predictions” on the opening of the London locations from Vogue.co.uk?

A love of heritage brands is ingrained in British sensibility—from the royal family to Liberty of London, which has maintained its position as England's premier department storesince 1875. Liberty is still selected each year by the readers of Time Out London as the top shopping destination in the UK. So as a faux-heritage brand, one wonders in what way Anthropologie will be able to find a place in a country with actual heritage. In the U.S, vintage is a longstanding trend, as shoppers and merchants either connect to our real shared past or fabricated an idealized sense of what it means to be an American. Hence the success of Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger, two brands that have constructed billion dollar businesses around the beauty and romance of what America never has been, but aspires to be. 

So why bring a faux-heritage mall brand like Anthopologie to Britain? First off, their girlish, embellished, romantic clothes and lifestyle items do fit in well with how British woman dress, and live. A friend there recently told me that his mom and her friends are starting to flock to Anthropologie. These women "get" the brand. They want pretty, and decorative.  On a certain level, it's also an investment brand, as this part of Americana does not come cheap. Antrhopologie is coming up against British high street brands with a more contemporary sensibility, so there may be a place for them in the market.

What is it with those Brits? Everyone wants a piece of them these days.They’ve got the whole heritage thing going on, and then for the past fifteen years or so, they’ve re-emerged as a center of hip, smart, ironic and fine design. They’ve also got the whole high/low thing down pat, so that you can feel just as good buying a luxurious and fun Vivienne Westwood rug (a whimsical take on the Union Jack)

Vivienne Westwood for the Rug Company

to buying a candle in the shape of Big Ben,

Candles from BlissLiving Home, T-shirt from the London Underground shop

or a Union Jack throw pillow that can be found at every stand on Portobello Road. This is apart from their ongoing infuence in the world of architecture, fashion design, food (hello, Jamie Oliver), literature, publishing and photography. You get the picture. I don’t see this trend going away very soon, so stock up on your tea and biscuits, set your ipod to Lily Allen, and crack open your coffee table book on Sir Norman Foster. Cheers!