Topshop’s first UK wholesale partner revealed — it’s Liberty

Topshop doesn’t seem to have put a foot wrong as it’s hit the comeback trail this year and following its headline-grabbing runway show at the weekend we now know the name of its first UK wholesale partner.

It’s high-end London department store Liberty. Not that the company released this news officially at first. Instead, an Instagram post shows a rail of Topshop clothing being wheeled along with a glimpse of a mock-Tudor building and a W1 postcode in the background. This could be no other store than Liberty, just off London’s Regent Street. 

The company later confirmed the link-up with more information.

The women’s and men’s collections launch there on 28 August with the companies saying that for Liberty, “it reinforces a commitment to championing creativity, cultural relevance and emerging talent. For Topshop and Topman, it’s a dynamic return to the high street — offering a new space for discovery, connection and style”.

“Through Topshop and Topman, we want to bring the best of fashion to everyone,” said Topshop MD Michelle Wilson. “Liberty [is] a brand that shares our passion for creativity, nurturing talent and pushing boundaries. This launch is about reconnecting with our community in real life, and we’re excited to kick things off with a full Liberty atrium takeover.”

Meanwhile Liberty’s buying and merchandising director, Lydia King, said: “We’ve always been about discovery — curating the most exciting talent and ideas under one roof. Partnering with Topshop and Topman brings a new layer to that experience: it’s a meeting point of two iconic British names, both with deep roots in London style, a stone’s throw from Oxford Street. This residency celebrates the city’s creativity and energy, offering our customers something unexpected. Which we love to do.” 

As well as the clothes, we’re told “the launch will feature immersive visual moments throughout the Liberty atrium, celebrating the creative spirit and future-facing energy of both brands”.

Being stocked in a prestige location like Liberty underlines Topshop’s close London connections that are being emphasised in its relaunch. But it also underlines how much kudos the brand still has and how well  the Topshop (and not forgetting Topman) comebacks are being managed by the team at ASOS.

After all, Topshop has always been essentially a mass-market fashion brand (albeit a trend-led one) and its pricing means it still is, while the fashion labels available at Liberty are in a much higher price bracket.

The company has also linked up with some strong international stockists including Irish department stores McElhinneys and Shaws, Printemps in France and Denmark’s Magasin du Nord.

As we said, it hasn’t put a foot wrong so far from teaser campaigns to one-day pop-ups, a relaunched webstore, a Cara Delevingne collab and a Traflgar Square runway show. 

The hardest task comes next though — selling a large number of clothes. It’s unclear how much information we’ll get on how it’s going on this front with the next set of ASOS results (due in mid-October) as the company now holds only a minority stake after selling control to Heartland, the investment vehicle of Bestseller’s owner. But with ASOS still managing the brand, fingers crossed it will be prepared to share what it must hope will be good news.