JAKE HALL’S PREVU LABEL LAUNCHES INTO SELFRIDGES

Launching into one of London’s premier retail destinations under normal retail conditions can be daunting. Factor in the reality that many, including Selfridges have had their doors firmly shuttered for the past few months and the anticipation of tills ringing again (did they ever ring?) is palpable. Yet for British casual wear brand Prevu (it means planned in french), this week saw their first dedicated space within the Oxford Street behemoth open for business. I caught up with its founder and CEO Jake Hall earlier this week to ask if he felt the pressure of opening up a sizeable space in the current climate. ‘Selfridges has been great for us- of course there is the challenge of footfall given the new social distancing measures in place,  but we’ve had a lot of support on social media and are proud and grateful for our loyal customer base that still want to shop in store’ Jakes tells me over email. 

While Prevu is no stranger to the Selfridges shop floor, having occupied just a single rail since last year, its testament to how much the buyers believe in the product, handing over a fully kitted out space to the label. The brand has also had support from the likes of Stormzy, Liam Payne and Bella Hadid, since it launched five years ago. With a bricks and mortar space now a reality how has the brand navigated their online business over the past few months? ‘We’ve adapted and made changes as all brands have had to during lockdown, but priding ourselves on our customer focus and relatable content means we’ve been able to change our business model from shoots abroad to a home, loungewear focus- dropping new styles daily shot on iPhone around the house and garden’ comments Hall. 

So just what is the brands appeal? Well, firstly it can’t hurt that the exceedingly handsome Jake fronts much of the brands marketing campaigns across the @prevustudio instagram attracting 100k followers, while peppering his own personal Instagram @jakehall (318K followers) wearing pieces from his collections. Others will be more versed with his cockney swagger and good looks from his regular appearances in reality TV show TOWIE, which no doubt has informed the type of demographic keen to get hold of his cosy cotton streamlined twin sets. The trend to adopt the co-ordinated look (as defined by two pieces of clothing that match) over the last few season’s, is likely to broaden Prevu’s appeal, coupled with the fact its the type of easy to put together pieces that feel right at home, while working from home. The collection is a savvy mix of co ordinated separates, such as a contemporary take on the classic polo shirt, matching knee length shorts, panelled bomber jackets teamed with comfortable lounge pants (joggers) all predominantly cut in soft stretch jersey and cotton. Clothes to walk the dog in, shirts to do Zoom meetings in and shorts for supping pints in the park, the type of clothes many have gravitated towards, since the pandemic asked us all to reconsider how functional or relevant our daily wardrobes have really been since March this year.

Jake’s interest in fashion began from an early age, while his dad worked in the rag trade, it was as a boarder at school in Somerset that Jake put his entrepreneurial skills to good use, sourcing clothes from his favourite stores and selling them onto friends for a bit of fun and making a small profit along the way. Despite his career trajectory heading towards becoming a professional footballer player, it was a solitary sewing machine and three metres of fabric in a garage which turned out to be Jakes light bulb moment.

Rendering of the Prevu store fit within Selfridges

Launching with a core line of just six pieces back in 2015, Prevu has scaled the business to include womenswear, kids wear and accessories. An impressive growth by any standard, but Hall puts this down to having a solid vision for the brands online experience from the very beginning. Scaling back production with their UK manufacturer has also kept those virtual shopping basket’s full during the current health crisis. ‘We’re very lucky to be an e-commerce led business, with online demand still thriving in a difficult period over the past few months. We’re also fortunate to have our own UK factory that has really pulled us through producing small units that have sold quickly.’ 

One thing that is apparent when scrolling through the online store and social media accounts, is the brands message of providing a solution to some of our wardrobe dilemmas and that was before social distancing or Covid-19 entered our daily vocabulary.

So while Jake still likes to document and share new drops with his loyal customers via his phone, it won’t be against some of the more exotic travel destinations he’s accustomed to showing them. ‘We’ve fallen back in love with the UK. We’re planning some beautiful new UK based drops and we’re excited to explore the country. There are lots of new styles to look forward to and huge new categories including gym wear and tailoring’ offers Jake. There is also their first high waisted formal trousers to look forward to, which I hope to be dropping into my top right shopping basket sometime soon.

www.prevustudio.com