Personal shopping is not new to Selfridges. But with 40 Duke, the high-end Oxford Street department store wants to redefine the personal shopping experience. Today, Selfridges has launched the 25,000 square-foot space on the fourth floor of its building – and it’s a fully fledged members’ club with a restaurant and bar, private dining room, terrace lounge, 24 private shopping spaces, and a programme of events and talks. And where Selfridges’s past personal shopping service focused primarily on clothes, 40 Duke represents full immersion into a curated lifestyle.
“I like to think that we’re not just filling people’s bags with stuff, we’re filling their heads with ideas,” Selfridges creative director Will Wyness tells Broadsheet. “This is a space to introduce [customers] to the culture behind the product, connecting people to some of the most interesting makers in the world.”
Contemporary art lining the walls is selected by former Institute of Contemporary Arts curator Matt Williams – and members who like what they see could ask for an introduction to the gallerist or artist. The same goes for furniture, selected in the communal spaces by US design gallery The Future Perfect (“the most exciting in the world” right now, in Wyness’s view).
The restaurant – a large central room where marble, leather, metal and wood blend harmoniously under the glow of yellow orb lights – is the first permanent venue by luxury event caterer Cellar Society. Julia Paterlini (ex-Chiltern Firehouse and Spring) has been appointed head chef.
Wyness really lights up when he takes Broadsheet through to the private shopping spaces. Each was designed by Simone McEwan and Sasha Leong of Nice Projects (ICA, Tekla Fabrics) and varies in colour scheme and aesthetic. Some are more demure, with gentle blues and mid-century armchairs, while one features shelves adorned with art magazines, a record player and a vinyl selection (“the footballers’ favourite room!” says Wyness). All offer plenty of rail space for clothes, sofas for friends and family, and – perhaps most importantly – flattering backlit mirrors.
While anyone can book an appointment (gaining access to 40 Duke for the day), customers can become members (also known as a Very Selfridges Person) by collecting “keys” (ie, points), accessed through shopping at Selfridges, eating at its restaurants, skating at The Bowl or visiting the cinema.
So why has this storied department store launched a members' club almost 120 years after it was founded? Wyness explains it’s partly a response to how Selfridges’s personal-shopping customers behave. Many are “sociable, often coming in cohorts, like some of the musicians that are our clients” and others are large international families who might use the space as their base, “setting up shop for a week”. By blurring the lines between shopping, socialising and dining, Wyness sees 40 Duke as a place that connects clients to London’s zeitgeist – its designers, artists and makers – and where they can feel at ease. “We don’t want it to feel like Pretty Woman in that none of this is accessible: we’re really welcoming,” he says. “Anyone can book a personal shopping appointment at Selfridges, so we want our version of luxury to feel joyful and approachable.”
40 Duke opens today, Friday May 1 at Selfridges.
