British Brand Varley Plans First U.S. Store With Several More in the Works Over the Next Two Years

Varley, a contemporary fashion brand, is ready to make its move to SoHo, with a slew of new openings planned over the next two years.

The fast-growing British brand plans to open a 2,500-square-foot store on the corner of West Broadway and Spring Street on Friday. The space was most recently occupied as an All Saints pop-up.

“For us there was no doubt that New York was where we wanted to open our first store,” said Ben Mead, who cofounded Varley with his wife, Lara, in 2014. He said New York City is Varley’s largest market from a revenue perspective in the U.S., followed by Dallas. The company, which has two stores in London on Kings Road and Marylebone High Street, sells to such retailers as Net-a-porter, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Revolve. The company specializes in knitwear, outerwear and everyday staples, which are complemented by active pieces.

Varley is based in London with offices in New York and Los Angeles.

When the couple originally started the firm, they weren’t desperate to open their own stores because they knew how much work that entailed. But they ultimately felt it was a necessary step. “It’s a lot of work and because we’ve never done it, we didn’t quite realize what the impact would be for brand positioning and brand credibility and storytelling. It’s exceeded all of our expectations,” said Mead.

Mead said the brand sits in a unique space and considers itself contemporary leisure, not activewear, even though it uses performance fabrics. “We’re not athleisure,” he said, noting that they have a more elevated aesthetic and do a lot of knitwear and outerwear. A key aspect of the brand is movement, and they design for the way a woman lives and moves. “The brand is all about instilling a quiet confidence in our customer,” he said.

Lara Mead, cofounder and chief creative officer, added, “The Varley aesthetic is tailored yet relaxed, featuring considered trims and detailing. Our women lead busy lives and need a wardrobe that moves with them. Layering is a big part of how I build looks, so we work hard to ensure pieces can be styled together. The idea extends to our approach to color, utilizing neutrals and textures to elevate the collections.”

Ben Mead noted that there are no images of models in their stores because he discourages any level of comparison. He said they curated the collections by established and emerging female artists.

Varley has continued its partnership with HAM Interiors, a family-run interiors company known for its high-quality design. The store has natural light and open space, which allows the clothing to take center stage. The use of natural materials such as limed oaks, polished brasses, honed stones and textured fabrics creates an intimate environment. In collaboration with Cramer & Bell, a female-owned art consultancy, Varley has curated the store’s art collection, featuring distinctive mosaics by Katherine Forst, handmade in New York City.

There are select pieces from Croft House which lend a touch of West Coast charm to the New York store. The space is illuminated by lighting from London-based brand Pinch, while the scent is created by Sharland England. Varley has also partnered with Flowerbx to add a floral touch to the store’s aesthetic.

Mead believes the brand has the versatility of an L.A. wardrobe with a European aesthetic. Apparel retails from $60 to $600. Accessories go from $25 for a pair of socks to $180 for bags.

Generally, the collection skews toward a woman 30 to 50. “It’s for a modern woman very much on the go,” he said. He said they are very much a fabric-first business, which he says has an emotional reaction. “The palettes are very muted. They’re quite neutral and very much designed to layer,” said Mead.

Once the New York store opens, plans call for new stores on Madison Avenue and 86th Street, opening in December, and NorthPark Center in Dallas in January. Also opening in 2025 are stores on Newbury Street in Boston and Oakbrook Center in Chicago. Stores in California’s Brentwood Country Mart and Marin County Mart will open in 2026, said Mead.

Down the road, Mead can see the U.S. supporting upwards of 50 stores in the U.S.

He noted that in London, the London Marylebone High Street store does about $2.5 million in volume, and the Kings Road store generates close to $4 million.

For the year ended in July, Varley generated $83 million in revenues, and $14 million in earnings before interest and taxes (EBITA). This year they’re on track to do between $140 million to $150 million in revenues with $30 million to $35 million in EBITA, said Mead.

He noted that when they started the company 10 years ago, they were self-financed, and this was during the era of direct-to-consumer brands, such as Everlane and Reformation. He felt that was too much of a risk to go the DTC route and instead went the wholesale route. “It was good timing, and we got lucky,” said Mead. The first year they didn’t even have e-commerce, “which was the best decision we ever made.” It gave Varley a chance to work with buyers and get their data “which allowed us to evolve and improve the product and manage inventory and validate the decisions we were making.”

“It’s taken us to where we are. We’re not there yet, we’re on a journey,” he said. It took them 12 months to get something of an e-commerce site out.

Three years ago, wholesale represented 80 percent of the business. Last year, wholesale sales were up 160 percent. E-commerce was up 122 percent, said Mead. This year, he anticipates that wholesale will account for 50 percent of the business, and e-commerce, 50 percent. Last year it was 60/40, wholesale to e-commerce.

When choosing real estate for the stores, Mead said he likes the space to feel authentic. He likes historical buildings and loves architecture and interior design.

“I want to evoke that feeling of home,” he said. “And we like to design into the spaces.”

In general, he has found that the average order value at retail is $250, and the average item’s value is $140. He anticipates that the knitwear and the mini-capsule wardrobes will do very well. His wife oversees the creative side, and “We’re fortunate to have a very talented team of designers who have been with us a very long time,” said Mead.

He said the clothes are geared to wear every single day; they’re not formal or dressy. They are made all over the world in countries such as Vietnam, China, Turkey, and Portugal.