The digitally native activewear brand TALA, founded in 2019 by Grace Beverley—a former Oxford music student turned Forbes 30 under 30 entrepreneur—is set to open its first UK flagship on London’s Carnaby Street in May 2025. This move marks a six-year journey and pivotal shift for the DTC fashion label, which is rapidly evolving from an e-commerce disruptor to a multi-channel retail contender.
TALA’s CEO, Morgan Fowles said: “Our customers have told us resoundingly, including via our success at Selfridges stores across the UK, that they still love shopping in physical stores. Carnaby Street is an incredibly exciting and well-aligned place to open our first retail store and is a key milestone in the multi-channel and international growth strategy we’re rapidly executing to support the demand for our brand and products."
TALA Flagship Details
The 2,000-square-foot, double-fronted store spans two levels at 3-4 Carnaby Street, combining sleek design with tech-forward features like omnichannel integration and mobile checkout. The space will showcase TALA’s bestsellers, including the Airform collection, cult-favorite DayFlex leggings, and 365 Sculpting Lounge line. Designed to reflect the brand’s ethos of sustainability and inclusivity, the store aims to create an immersive experience, allowing customers to engage with product quality firsthand—a sharp contrast to fast fashion “dupes,” as Beverley emphasized in earlier announcements.
William Oliver, Director of Retail Leasing at Shaftesbury Capital, added: “Fashion innovation has always been in Carnaby Street’s foundations; it’s what sets this destination apart, ensuring it can maintain its reputation as one of the most forward-thinking retail experiences anywhere in the world. We are excited to welcome TALA to Carnaby Street."
Why Carnaby Street?
Morgan Fowles, TALA’s CEO, framed the opening as both a celebration and a strategic play:
“The opening of our flagship store is a celebration of TALA’s growth, and given Carnaby Street’s International footfall, a strategic move to solidify our presence both in the UK retail market and with International customers. Physical retail complements our e-commerce strength, and our success with Selfridges proved customers still crave tactile experiences. Carnaby Street has long been a destination for innovative and leading brands, and this location allows us to engage directly with customers whilst complementing our strong e-commerce offering."
The brand’s Spring 2024 Selfridges concession, which featured top-performing lines like Sculpt Seamless and Signature Sweats, laid the groundwork for this expansion. Fowles also highlighted TALA’s £5m July 2024 funding round—led by Pembroke VCT, Venrex, and Active Partners—as critical to scaling physical retail.
Grace Beverley, TALA’s founder, shared her vision for the store as a “clubhouse” for the brand’s community:
“Carnaby Street is steeped in retail history and creativity, making it the perfect place to deepen our connection with our amazing community. This space will be about more than just shopping; it will also be about inviting our customers to step into the world of TALA with community events and in-store experiences. I'm most excited for visitors to feel the quality of our products. I’m excited for them to step into the TALA world.”
Historically, the location has been a magnet for trendsetting retailers, offering TALA access to a diverse, international audience while reinforcing London’s reputation as a retail innovation hub.
Future of DTC Brands
1.Product Fit > Influencer: Beverley’s audience insights drove product-market fit, not just marketing.
2.Omnichannel Retail is Non-Negotiable: TALA’s pivot to physical stores mirrors a broader trend where DTC brands like Glossier and Warby Parker leveragebrick-and-mortar to deepen customer loyalty.
3.Community-Driven Stores: Flagships aren’t just sales channels—they’re branded spaces for Pilates classes and design workshops.
4.Funding Fuels Retail Expansion: Strategic investments enabled TALA to experiment with concessions first, de-risking their flagship launch.
With former Boden and Net-a-Porter executive Jon Wetherell steering creative direction since early 2025, paired with Beverly's influencer persona (1.1M Instagram followers proves that DTC agility, can redefine categories—one sustainable seam at a time.
