It’s 9 p.m., and Alex Eagle is getting ready for bed. This might seem early to some, but a day as packed as Eagle’s deserves a set of bespoke silk pajamas and a candle with her name on it—literally. The candle, with geranium leaves sourced from southern China, was created by Jehanne de Biolley in collaboration with Eagle’s namesake shop.
Alex Eagle Studio opened in London in 2014 in the luxe bohemian area of Soho, where Eagle, 34, also lives. Upon entering the boutique, you might feel more like you’re in your chic friend’s well-curated loft space. “I want people to shop in an un-panicked way,” Eagle says. She seeks to foster a welcoming atmosphere in her spacious sun-drenched flagship store, where you can buy everything from the reupholstered vintage ottoman to the Ettore Sottsass lamp resting on the oak desk to a silk hair scrunchie found in the drawer. They are investment pieces—“building blocks,” as she calls them—for your home. And the same mentality is applied to wardrobe. Eagle swears by luxury basics, citing a coat by Joseph, a dress by Courrèges, and an oversize crew neck jumper from Lemaire as a few of her favorite staples that line the racks in her store.
Eagle’s introduction to luxury fashion came early, commuting to school in the 1990s via Sloan Street, the city’s famed shopping avenue that houses Tom Ford, Gucci, and Dolce & Gabbana. “I knew every collection just by walking by these shops every day, and then after school I would go to Harvey Nichols—I knew every inch of that place,” Eagle says. “The things I saw as a teenager growing up in London still have a massive influence on me. I never felt intimidated by fashion because it was part of my daily life.” After finishing university, Eagle began her career at Harper’s Bazaar UK before moving on to British fashion label Joseph as global press manager, where she received a crash course in the inner workings of luxury retail. “These jobs gave me the confidence to do what I do now,” she says. At 29, she started a business of her own.
In addition to three stores (two in London, one in Berlin), Eagle’s brand is building a soundproof reputation with bespoke tailoring services; a line of basics (camisoles, cotton shirts, and cashmere gloves); and collaborations with other brands and designers such as Adam Lippes, Troy London, and Away. “Away’s design is ‘less is more.’ The luggage is beautiful because it’s simple, so I didn’t want to play with that too much, I just tweaked it to make it my own.”
As you might expect, Eagle’s travel routine is nothing if not thoughtful. In her carry-on, you’ll find Susanne Kaufmann pillow spray, which she spritzes on hotel sheets (“it reminds me and my son of home”), a tin of black currant Grether’s Pastilles (“a nice thing to offer to the stranger next to you”), and Crème de la Mer lip balm.
Eagle often flies to Berlin, where she owns The Store, a retail-store-cum-workspace located on the ground floor of Berlin’s Soho House. “It’s a creative hub where there’s no pressure to buy something,” she says. Nonetheless, Byredo candles and limited-edition Fila sneakers fly off the shelves. A DJ spins records as creatives work side by side and celebrities such as Kanye West, Zoë Kravitz, and Virgil Abloh peruse indie magazines or snack on plant-based lunches. “We wanted it to feel like you can come and have a coffee and hang out all day with us,” Eagle says.
No matter where Eagle finds herself at any given moment—sourcing fabric in Italy, scouting leather in Portugal, networking in New York—it’s London that will always be home. “The great thing about London,” she says, “is it can be anything you want it to be.”
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