Phoebe Philo has previewed its collection C on its webstore phoebephilo.com. The collection will be delivered from mid-year 2025 and will run through to November.

It will be available exclusively online at the label’s own webstore as well as via dedicated shop-in-shops at Galeries LafayetteHaussmann Paris, Dover Street Market London, and through select global wholesale partners.

Categories include ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes and accessories.

Beyond that, there’s no information available, which is no surprise, the company having chosen a very pared-back approach to its launches since the label first appeared in 2023. 

It has avoided the frenzy of catwalk shows as well as taking a very Philo-specific approach to the calendar with alphabetically-named collections and edits rather than straightforward seasons.

In fact, when the label first launched, the work arrived as a series of edits that were revealed and available simultaneously — together forming the first collection. Since October 2024, collections are now revealed in their entirety and in advance of availability, so that’s a small shift towards a more traditional strategy.

It’s a sign of the brand evolving as it has moved from its original online-only approach to adding in availability via very select luxury physical stores.

In November it opened its first shop-in-shop in London at the aforementioned Dover Street Market and only last month opened its first physical store in France, the 50 sq m space in Galeries Lafayette.

Uniqlo has been announced as a parter for contemporary art destination Tate Modern’s 25th anniversary and will be part of the gallery’s Birthday Weekender as well as opening a Uniqlo Tate Shop, dubbed Art For All, that will run throughout the summer.

The Birthday Weekender is intended to be an “unforgettable free festival of music, making and performance”. It runs from 9 May-12 May with headline music acts, performances, talks, workshops, tours and free experiences – from tarot readings to film screenings – alongside food and drink offers and more. Interactive art and live performance will also be at the heart of the programme.

Koji Yanai, group senior executive officer, of Uniqlo’s owner Fast Retailing, said the “deep relationship with one of the world’s greatest museums is an expression of the Uniqlo LifeWear philosophy of Art For All. We look forward to welcoming customers into the first Uniqlo Tate Shop where they can experience an in-store arts programme alongside our LifeWear products”.

Uniqlo and Tate have a long-standing global partnership and the pop-up will run from 5 May to 16 September, featuring popular services as a UTme! personalised T-shirt station and personalised embroidery. It will also offer a limited-edition Tate UTme! T-shirt collection alongside select Uniqlo items. Plus there’ll be a summer-long series of activities, inspired by the Uniqlo LifeWear philosophy and Tate Modern’s arts programme.

The new UTme! Tate T-shirt range pays tribute to the international, modern and contemporary artworks featured in the museum’s collection displays over the years. They feature works by artists such as Louise Bourgeois (the giant bronze spider Maman) and Salvador Dalí (the Lobster Telephone), alongside new additions to Tate’s collection by artists including Ayoung Kim.

We tend to hear more about department stores closing these days than being refurbished or opening but small, privately-owned chain Morleys Stores Ltd has announced plans to reopen the Jollys store on Milsom Street, Bath, “bringing a revitalised shopping experience to this historic retail destination”.

The company said it will be a “huge boost for the city of Bath and a much needed and positive demonstration of investment and growth from a UK department store business”.

It added that it’s “committed to restoring Jollys to its former glory, making it once-again the anchor store for Milsom street. Offering a carefully curated selection of fashion, beauty, homeware, and more, the store will cater to the needs of the local community while also attracting shoppers from across the region and visitors to Bath”.

Morleys CEO Allan Winstanley is a hugely experienced department stores exec (he previously worked at Myer in Australia, Sears, De Bijenkorf and House of Fraser) and clearly sees a big opportunity in busy Bath.

He spoke of the city’s “vibrant retail landscape” and said that “our approach is to treat each of our stores as a unique independent department store, ensuring we create an exceptional shopping experience tailored to the local community. We are especially pleased to confirm that we will be keeping the Jollys name, honouring its deep-rooted legacy in the city.”

As mentioned, department stores have been shutting down across the UK and the local council in the city (Bath & Northeast Somerset Council) has been working hard to secure the future of the store so its success is something of a coup.

Bath City Council and Morleys are immediately starting a major refurbishment of the historic building “with the goal of restoring Jollys to its former glory”.

Morleys also said the Jollys store will introduce exclusive names “never seen before in Bath” and will feature a full-service beauty experience.

The reopening will happen in two phases with the first phase in exactly a year’s time, followed by a full completion and grand opening in October 2026, in time for the golden quarter.

Jess Merritt-John, the former Jollys Store Manager, has been retained and will oversee a dedicated Heritage Space within it throughout the renovation. 

Recognising Bath’s status as a thriving tourist city, Morleys aims to establish Jollys “as a must-visit retail destination, celebrating both its rich heritage and the very best in fashion, beauty, and home,” we’re told.

Morleys has eight stores in its group including Elys in Wimbledon, Pearsons in Enfield, Camp Hopson in Newbury, Roomes Fashion & Home in Upminster, Selbys in Holloway, Morleys in Brixton, Bexleyheath and Tooting (the last of which is set to close soon), and Jollys in Bath.

Despite the planned Tooting closure, the company has continued to invest in its stores. In April 2024 it opened a new 20,000 sq ft home store in Newbury adjacent to its main store. And other recent investment included a £3 million refurbishment of Morleys in Brixton in 2022, with a further £3 million planned in 2025 for Pearsons. It’s also seeking “opportunities to expand its portfolio of stores subject to the correct strategic fit”.