British Lingerie Line Fleur T Rebrands as Fleur of England
“Birth and rebirth” has been the theme of the moment for British lingerie designer Fleur Turner. Following the birth of her son, George, in November 2007, Turner started the rebirth of her 9-year-old line, Fleur T. Beginning with the Autumn/Winter 2009 collection, which hits stores this August, Fleur T will be rebranded as Fleur of England.
Turner changed the name of her brand after conducting focus groups to gauge customers’ perception of the brand name without knowing anything about the product. “It came out that unless people knew my name was Fleur Turner, they thought we were saying ’flirt’ rather than ’Fleur T,” Turner said. “We just thought that the name [flirt] made the product sound like it was a mid-range product rather than the expensive, exquisite, luxurious product that it is.”
Fleur of England is not a far leap in name change from Fleur T but adds the right amount of distinction to the brand’s heritage. Turner added that it’s “very important” to her American buyers, which include Barneys New York and Faire Frou Frou in Studio City, Calif., that the products are made in England. American stores make up approximately 70 percent of her wholesale business, with about 40 percent of those stores hailing from the West Coast.
Though the name has changed, Fleur of England’s elegant style, signature fit and quirky design details will continue in the stride Turner hit last year, which was her most successful yet.
“The collection that I designed when I was expecting my baby [the Autumn/Winter ’08 collection] has been our best-selling collection ever. We just couldn’t make enough. We sold out twice,” Turner said. Retail prices for a silk balconette bra and matching panty set from that best-selling season hover around $300. In light of the present economy, the Spring 2010 collection, which Turner is exhibiting during the Aug. 2–4 run of the CurveNY lingerie trade show in New York, will have lower wholesale prices.
Turner will also launch a new Web site in August, at www.fleurofengland.com, with expanded features such as an updated stockists list, a design-inspiration area, lookbook photos available for download and an online shop. —Rhea Cortado
