Miss Selfridge

founded by

Harry Gordon Selfridge

belongs to

Arcadia Group

about

Miss Selfridge is a nationwide UK high street store which began as the young fashion section of Selfridges department store in London in 1966. Miss Selfridge got its name when Charles Clore, the owner of Selfridges at the time, saw a window display in the Bonwit Teller store in New York which showed "Miss Bonwit" dresses aimed specifically at teenagers. By 1967 Miss Selfridge had started to open within Lewis' department stores and by 1969 has opened independent stores in Croydon, Brighton, Regent Street and Brompton. There are now over 180 Miss Selfridge stores offering a unique range of clothes and accessories.

The first of Miss Selfridge's mannequins were based on sixties icon and model Twiggy, and the first dresses were paper dresses designed to be worn once and then thrown away, by Sylvia Ayton and Zandra Rhodes. Couturier Pierre Cardin was also commissioned by Miss Selfridge to design four exclusive collections a year.

In July 1999 Arcadia Group, which is owned by Sir Philip Green, acquired Miss Selfridge, along with Wallis and Outfit, from Sears plc. Arcadia Group also includes Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Burton, and Topman.

Over the past four decades, Miss Selfridge has proven to be one of the most well-loved brands on the British high street. Despite numerous changes in ownership since its birth, Miss Selfridge has proved that its name, reputation and brand power have stood the test of time.

Miss Selfridge was one of the first retailers to use Kate Moss in their campaigns and has used other successful models and actresses such as Naomi Campbell, Yasmin le Bon, Tess Daly, Saffron Burrows and Nicollette Sheridan before they found major success.

In 2006, to celebrate its 40th year of business, Miss Selfridge relaunched limited edition make up palettes containing some of the most successful products from the "Kiss and Make Up" make up range, which is now discontinued.

To reinforce the brand�s heritage and reputation for individuality, Miss Selfridge in 2007 launched a Vintage Collection of hand-picked one-off pieces sourced by the team and sold via its revamped website. The pieces are chosen for their fine fabrics and intricate details and span four decades from the prom-queen Fifties to the post-punk and power-suited Eighties.