By Julie Malamute
When the evite hit my inbox to attend a Q&A with Alice Temperley, I didn’t even check the diary, I just replied ‘YES!’ And as expected, Alice was engaging and inspiring. She kicked off the Q&A sharing her story about starting Temperley London when it was just her running everything, although everyone else thought there were two on the team – Alice and a very rude lady in finance – turns out the rude lady was also Alice! So what has she learned since launching the brand 16 years ago?
During the recession, she launched Alice by Temperley, a more affordable range, but said even though it sold well and was right to do at the time, she wouldn’t do it again – it is better to have one brand, one message. With four ranges a year, Alice spoke about how incredibly busy she is, but said the key to happiness is having the right team surrounding and supporting her and always staying true to herself. And clearly she is right, she has built a well-known, highly-regarded independent British brand in a relatively short time, her Somerset by Alice Temperley range is the fastest-selling collection in John Lewis’ history and she is looking at expanding Temperley London to become an all-round lifestyle brand over the next five years. Her romantic bohemian stamp on the British fashion landscape is forever.
