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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 £2000 loan from his future father-in-law, Arthur Liberty took on the lease of half a shop at 218a Regent Street opposite Farmers and Rogers. The shop opened in 1875 selling ornaments, fabric and objets d'art from Japan and the East. Within eighteen months Liberty had repaid the loan and acquired the second half of 218 Regent Street. As the business grew neighbouring properties were bought and added.
In 1885, 142-4 Regent Street were acquired and housed the ever-increasing demand for carpets and furniture. The basement was called the 'Eastern Bazaar" home to all things described as 'decorative furnishing objects'. He named the property Chesham House after the place in which he grew up.
Liberty, the store, became the most fashionable place to shop in London and the fabrics were used for both clothing and furnishings. Its clientele was exotic, and included famous members of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, Rossetti, Leighton and Burne-Jones. The demand Liberty created soon began to outstrip sources of supply and he decided to import ready woven fabric and dye or print it in the UK. He achieved this by using the expertise of two printing companies - Thomas Wardle of Leek in Staffordshire and Edmund Littler of Merton Abbey in Surrey.
The more famous of the two shops, the Tudor building, was built at the height of the 1920's fashion for Tudor revival. The shop was engineered around three light wells that formed the main focus of the building.
Arthur Liberty wanted to create the feeling that you were walking around your own home when you came to his store, so each of these wells was surrounded by smaller rooms to create a homely feel. Many of the rooms had fireplaces and some still exist today. The wells created a wonderful environment in which to drape exotic rugs and quilts, whilst the smaller rooms allowed the display of smaller items.
Liberty is unique and is positioned at the forefront of cutting edge fashion. It is still innovative, still seeking and collaborating with the best designers of today. Liberty celebrates originality and embraces a spirit of creativity. The ethos of Arthur Liberty still applies, Liberty continues to immerse and feed the senses while engaging imagination.
Further information...
address: Liberty Plc., Regent Street, London W1B 5AH UK
tel: +44 020 7734 1234
fax: +44 020 7734 1234
email:
web: www.liberty.co.uk
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