UK based womenswear brand Never Fully Dressed gears up for store opening in London’s Spitalfields
Never Fully Dressed, which was founded by British designer, Lucy Aylen, in 2009, has taken to social media to tease the opening of a new store in London. An Instagram post says: “London…we got something coming…eeeeek!” The post is accompanied by a photo of a store front, with the words ‘Hello Spitalfields’ visible on the property next door.
A fitting location, then, given Never Fully Dressed’s market stall origins. The women’s fashion brand currently has two flagship stores, one in East London and one in New York. It also sells via an online store and wholesale partners including John Lewis & Partners.
Spitalfields Market is located in the heart of East London, on a site that has had a market for over 350 years. The Victorian structure, built by Robert Horner in 1875 as a wholesale market, is now a popular fashion, arts and crafts, retail, and food destination.
RCP
Refined Capital Partners (RCP) recently bought a stake in Never Fully Dressed. It did not reveal the size of the sake nor its cost.
In a LinkedIn post, Never Fully Dressed said: “This partnership is an exciting milestone for us, bringing long-term investment and strategic support that will help us continue growing while staying true to everything that makes NFD, NFD. The things that matter most to us aren't changing. We're still the same female founded brand, led by the same leadership team, designing every print in-house with the same passion, creativity and attention to detail.”
It added: “We'll continue creating versatile, feel-good pieces that empower everybody to feel their best, while nurturing the inclusive, supportive community that's always been at the heart of who we are. This partnership gives us the opportunity to invest in the future of Never Fully Dressed and our continued commitment to do better for our people and planet. We’ll continue to be open, honest and transparent as we grow, listening to our community every step of the way.”
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Physical retail will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
