Kurt Geiger has unveiled a new campaign starring Emily Ratajkowski for its latest collection, as it builds on a stand-out year when the fashion powerhouse saw earnings surge 34% to exceed £40 ($50) million. The British brand’s annual sales jumped 10% to £360 ($446) million in the year to February ’24, thanks to rising global demand for its ‘affordable luxury’ handbags – now Kurt Geiger’s biggest-selling products.
The fashion business founded in London in 1963 is also becoming one of the fastest-growing fashion brands in North America, with the US having quickly become its largest market. From 2018, gross sales in North America have grown 100-fold, from £2.5m ($3.1m) to £255m ($318m) today.
Its Fall/Winter 2024 campaign starring Emily Ratajkowski, introduces Kurt Geiger’s newest design, the Chelsea collection, named after the West London area where London’s fashion scene was established in the Sixties on the King’s Road. This project signals the continued evolution and stellar growth of Kurt Geiger, as the British designer launches a new classic for its fast-growing customer base.
Kurt Geiger’s thriving handbag business enjoyed record sales of £115.6 ($143) million during 2023. With an average price of £250 ($295) for its signature leather handbags, the brand’s focus on highly differentiated design with unparalleled value for the customer has seen Kurt Geiger’s performance stand out from the crowd – against both rising pricing across the sector and despite a backdrop of weakening global consumer demand.
In the last five months turnover has grown by 104% in America alone. The accessories label is now expanding its retail footprint across the United States, having opened its first store in Orlando in May, with three new store openings inked this Fall – in New York, Los Angeles and San Diego. The brand targets 50 American stores in the coming years.
The British business, founded in 1963, is particularly hot in the United States. In just the last five years, it’s drawn a bevy of celebrity fans including Kylie Jenner, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez, Viola Davis, Eva Longoria, Paris Hilton and Afiya Bennett. Kurt Geiger’s United States website almost doubled revenues to £29 ($36.5) million in the year to February 2024.
“Quite simply…we stand out from the crowd! Our brand has unique design aesthetic – fun, colourful and instantly recognisable,” said Neil Clifford, chief executive officer of Kurt Geiger. “That, combined with a strong British DNA and an incredible value proposition – we’ve filled a white space with bold, maximalist silhouettes at an affordable price point. 2024 is on track to smash all of our most ambitions predictions – with our global footprint growing exponentially, driven by handbags…now our largest product category in all markets. Not bad for an independent British brand, operating against a pretty tough economic back drop!”
