Arthur Lasenby Liberty was born in Chesham, Buckinghamshire in 1843. He was employed at Messrs Farmer and Rogers in Regent Street in 1862, the year of the International Exhibition at Kensington in London. By 1874, inspired by his 10 years of service, Arthur then decided to start a business of his own, believing that he could change the look of homewares and fashion.With a £2,000 loan from his future father-in-law, Arthur Liberty took on the lease of half a shop at 218a Regent Street with only three staff.The shop opened in 1875 selling ornaments, fabric and objets d'art from Japan and the East. Within eighteen months Arthur Liberty had repaid the loan and acquired the second half of 218 Regent Street. As the business grew, neighbouring properties were bought and added. Liberty of London is a luxury accessories brand which draws on Liberty's heritage. Launched in 2005, it operates under the creative direction of Ed Burstell. It is owned by BlueGem Capital Partners LLP. In the summer of 2008 a flagship Liberty of London boutique was opened at 197 Sloane Street, London. On 22 June 2009, Vogue reported that the Sloane Street store had been sold and the business transferred to the Regent Street store.In the spring of 2010, Liberty of London collaborated with U.S. discount retailer Target for a limited edition line of clothing and housewares featuring Liberty's bold graphic patterns
Urban Outfitters, Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) is a publicly traded American company that owns and operates five retail brands: Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, Terrain and Leifsdottir, a luxury brand for Anthropologie.[3]Urban Outfitters originated as "The Free People's Store" in 1970 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, focusing on "funky" fashion and household products. Shortly thereafter the owner and now Chairman, Richard Hayne, changed the name to Urban Outfitters. The product line has evolved from vintage, bohemian, retro, hipster, ironically humorous, kitschy apparel and furniture to include luxury brands and several designer collaborations.Headquartered at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Urban Outfitters operates more than 140 locations in the United States, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom.On November 27, 2009, the firm drew the attention of the Swedish press for denying collective bargaining rights to employees at their Stockholm store by making all 48 workers redundant and re-hiring them through employment agency Academic Work.[4][5] In response to the move, ombudsman Jimmy Ekman called for tougher laws to prevent other firms denying collective bargaining rights in this way.Urban Outfitters has been described as selling hip, kitschy, and ironic merchandise, for example, T-shirts emblazoned with the words "Jive Turkey" or "Atari". According to their website, Urban Outfitters' "established ability to understand our customers and connect with them on an emotional level is the reason for our success." The site says that "the reason for this success is that our brands... are both compelling and distinct. Each brand chooses a particular customer segment, and once chosen, sets out to create sustainable points of distinction with that segment" and that "the emphasis is on creativity. Our goal is to offer a product assortment and an environment so compelling and distinctive that the customer feels an empathetic connection to the brand and is persuaded to buy." Urban outfitters seek to create "a differential shopping experience, which creates an emotional bond with the 18 to 30 year old target customer we serve." in 2009, it agreed to sell limited editions of Polaroid ONE600 instant cameras and Type 779 instant film in partnership with the Austrian entrepreneur Florian Kaps, who acquired the rights to manufacture 700 copies of the defunct product.
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