Welcome to the mesmerizing world of Never Fully Dressed, the vibrant London-based fashion brand now charming New York City with its U.S. flagship boutique and a limited-time pop-up at Joey Wölffer’s store from August 6 to 9. Celebrating sustainability and diversity, their clothing spans sizes 2 to 24, offering a blend of lively prints, patterns, and timeless staples. Each piece exudes versatility, inspiring wearers to embrace their feminine individuality. Counting Kendall Jenner, Florence Pugh, Beyoncé, and more among their celebrity fans, Never Fully Dressed emerges as a symbol of audacious elegance.
In an insightful discussion, we spoke with Lucy Aylen, the founder and designer behind Never Fully Dressed. We explored the genesis of her fashion journey, her strategic choice of the Hamptons for her upcoming pop-up, and the exciting prospects lying ahead for her outstanding brand.
Lucy, congratulations on your Summer collection and pop up in the Hamptons. As the founder and designer of this gorgeous line, tell us about the history of Never Fully Dressed. How did this journey commence for you?
I’m a failed actress and my mom was said, “you’ve got to go and get a proper job.” My parents were market traders in London, so I think I’ve always had that in my blood and I’ve always been creative. I could sew and I could draw but I never really set out with a business intention. I started doing the Portobello Road markets — if you know London, Portobello Road is for vintage and handmade products. It took off from there. There was no social when I first started. So no Instagram and we kind of grew with that platform. That’s where I think that our community focus started for us and we’ve taken that community online. It was a real focus during Covid and it came into its own.
I am a bit of a traveler, and wherever I went, I was selling bits here and there. We started in my mom’s loft with people coming through the house all hours of the day. We opened a small store where we fulfilled from there — and then it grew steadily from then. That was probably about eight years ago. Covid was quite a turning point for us where community became the focus. Prints got vibrant, people were looking for escapism. We were really focused on our consumer.
Courtesy of Lucy Aylen
Explain what the community focus is for the brand. Your social media presence is impressive. What was growth like during the pandemic?
That focus on community is how we serve and help, how our products make people feel and how we can use our voice. We’ve been doing this for thirteen years. I was never on our Instagram once pre-Covid and then obviously in that time I had to shoot product or had to speak to the customer. I think people liked that, as it’s rare that you’ve got the founder talking to you. It’s a little bit more common in the US and maybe you’ve got the likes of Mara Hoffman who is still very present in that creative way.
I think a lot of people that were B2B just closed their doors. We’re mainly direct-to-consumer. And we’ve got such a vocal and loyal customer that we could absorb any orders that were cancelled from bigger partners. We just took that time, we’re probably three times the size of team now than what we were in 2020. We’re really agile. I remember the first shoot we did in my garden and we kind of turned that into a set where we could social distance with makeup stations. We were just creative in how we dealt with everything at that time. I think the community focus for us resonated and our customers came out of that obviously more loyal.
What does the brand’s name, Never Fully Dressed, mean or come from?
It’s basically you’re not fully dressed without a smile. To see someone with that confidence is the most important thing.
Have you ever been to the Hamptons?
No, this summer will be my first time. My mom was recently at the New York store and said we should pop out to the Hamptons. She probably watches all the shows about the Hamptons. I’m really excited.
Tell us about the pop-up in the Hamptons? And the inclusivity of your customer is wonderful.
We’ve seen a lot of organic growth in the US over the years. Pop-ups were always a part of our business model and we did four in New York before we opened our store there. We’re in the exact space where we did the last pop up — things just aligned. We’re just deepening our roots in the U.S. and building our community there.
Our size offering in the US is size 2 to 24. For Spring/Summer we’re going to extend both ends from 0 to 26. That really resonates in New York that women of all sizes come here. I’ve had people in tears in the store. I think it’s so hard to find a place to shop. It’s been groundbreaking for that community and word of mouth is really spreading. It’s really exciting to be a part of that.
It was there were twenty or so people said to me, “You need to be in the Hamptons, you need to be in the Hamptons.” We’ll be deepening our roots in the US with our base in the city. It will be nice to see the community in the Hamptons experience that and maybe there is something bigger that we build on.
Courtesy of Lucy Aylen
What was it about the Joey Wölffer boutique that attracted you to pop up there?
We saw the alignment there, with her vibe. I think in the Hamptons it feels like a good alignment for us. We’re looking forward to that and we’re quite long term people.
Let’s talk about your incredible price-point, which is very approachable.
It’s an interesting point of conversation at the moment because I think our price for now feels so inexpensive. We’ve got a press preview next week for our Autumn/Winter line in London and the quality of the fabrics are just absolutely amazing. Our knits are sustainable. No one does our quality for our price point.
How are you able to keep prices so affordable?
We just price very honestly. As we grow, we look at how that architecture looks like for pricing. Especially working in the US, they want that quality piece and we’ve got a really good conversation going with our customer and our voice is also really honest. We can get better at telling that story which is the conversation we’re having in every meeting at the moment to convey that integrity of design, the process behind the product — that brings even more value behind every piece. If you’re making 300 of a piece in the world, there’s also an exclusivity behind it as well. As the US is becoming more and more important for us, traceability, transparency, process and where things are made is a focus. If there is an increase, we’re talking like twenty dollars, but we price honestly is how we do it.
How would you describe your vibrant summer collection?
I think as far as my natural self, I would call it quite eclectic. Even if it’s something dressy, I would then quite like a natural fiber to ground the piece. I think that’s a more interesting story when you mix conflicting details or how it’s styled depending on the consumer. The personality behind that customer is a wide variety.
Eclectic is a great way to describe your collection. There are patterns and colors that you can easily mix and match depending on your style.
When you see someone come out of a changing room their shoulders go back a bit, that smile we were talking about . . . that’s the thing. It radiates and it’s so infectious. We make clothing for people to look and feel as amazing as they already are.
Never Fully Dressed will be at the Joey Wölffer boutique at 11 Madison Street in Sag Harbor from August 6 to 8. To learn more about Never Fully Dressed, visit neverfullydress.com. or visit their store in New York City at 243 Elizabeth Street.
