Modest Fashion Label Leem Opens First European Outpost in London

LONDON — The modest fashion label Leem has unveiled its first permanent U.K. location at Westfield White City here, signaling its ambition to expand beyond the Gulf region, where the brand has six stores.

The Saudi Arabian label, which offers accessible, fashion-forward designs, entered the U.K. in 2022 through Next’s multibrand online platform and later launched on Zalando and at Selfridges.

Last year it opened a yearlong pop-up at Westfield. The positive sell-through and feedback led to the mall offering the brand a permanent, 1,100-square-foot space on the ground floor with neighbors such as Hugo Boss, Tory Burch, Longchamp and APM Monaco.

“I think Westfield appreciated that we brought something fairly unique to their shopping mall,” said Miles Young, who has served as managing director of Leem since March 2020.

“We’ve got a slightly different customer focus than the traditional mid-market fashion brands and some of the higher-end fashion brands. They were pleased to have us as part of their tenants mix,” he added.

The store will serve as a base for Leem to expand further in London and the rest of the U.K.

“The U.K. is a huge market, and our product resonates very well with the London consumer. We’ve done a lot of market research with consumers about what they like. What we are learning is to adapt the product slightly. We’ve seen separates have grown significantly in the U.K. compared to what we see in the Middle East,” he added.

Wholesale is another key area of expansion. For the past six seasons the brand has presented its range in Paris, and buyers from the U.S. Australia, Germany and Turkey have shown interest, according to Young.

“Paris has been fantastic learning for us because we’ve got buyers coming from all around the world looking at the products and giving us feedback on the product, which we can take on board and we can adapt if we needed to. The general feeling is that the product is different from a lot of other businesses out there. There’s a certain taste and a certain design to our brand, which we are very proud of,” he said.

E-commerce is a fast-growing vertical, too, and the sales data has been helping the brand to understand the desirability of its product in various markets.

Young said the aim is for the online business to generate around 40 percent of the total revenue, between the brand’s own channel and third-party partners.

“We want to expand in a very considered manner. You test the market with your e-commerce business. If you get a positive response from it, then it would support bricks and mortar. And then, once we go into a country, we need to create at least a degree of critical mass for stores. It’s pointless just to have one store,” he said.

Accessibility has been a key differentiator for Leem in the modest fashion market.

Average prices fall between $115 and $205 for a dress, and the label accommodates a broad variety of needs. It sells hijabs, scarves and hats for women who need to cover their head, neck and arms, and longer skirt lengths for those who prefer the silhouette.

The clothing, designed by a team of nine people spread across the globe, has a trendy, youthful edge. The latest party collection includes a floor-length gradient knitted caftan maxidress with puffed sleeves, while a faux leather dress is sleeveless and adorned with studs.

“The biggest criticism we get is that people think that we are undervaluing the brand, but we’re saying that we want this product to be accessible. We positioned ourselves sensibly in a place where people can afford to buy the product and be proud to wear it, rather than being so exclusive that people just look at it and walk away,” Young said.

Going forward, Young said the brand won’t change its core pricing and is not actively looking for investors, but is open to discussions “if the right partner came across.”