Sekford is now stocked by three institutions of British retail – Selfridges, Ogden of Harrogate and Harvey Nichols. To celebrate, this month The Sekford Journal delves into their long, illustrious histories to discover tales of Tutankhamun, Absolutely Fabulous and an all-girl gun club in the centre of London.
Selfridges, Oxford Street
Selfridges has always done retail differently. A few months after opening their doors on Oxford Street in 1909, the store exhibited the aeroplane that had only a few days before carried its pilot, Louis Blériot, on the first successful crossing of the English Channel. As well as celebrating adventure and innovation, founder Harry Selfridge was a great supporter of the Suffragette movement and women’s rights. Proudly displaying the Suffragette flag over Oxford Street, the store was the first to install female toilets and even hosted an all-girl gun club on its roof.
Ogdens of Harrogate
Now run by the fifth generation of the Ogden family, this store in the North Yorkshire spa town of Harrogate, is widely regarded as the one of the best jewellers in the country, having produced crowns for King George VI and a silver cigarette case for Winston Churchill. James Roberts Ogden, who founded the store at the turn of the century, was also a leading Egyptologist, helping to restore some of the artefacts recovered from Tutankhamun’s tomb when it was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922.
Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge
Founded in 1830, Harvey Nichols was one of the first department stores in London. With its well-curated fashion department stocking the best of the latest collections and The Fifth Floor restaurant – a favourite of Princess Diana and the eccentric Eddy and Patsy from Absolutely Fabulous – Harvey Nichols retains its status as one of the best retail spaces in the capital. You can find Sekford in the sleek, newly revamped menswear department on the lower ground floor.
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