River Island is a London-based, multi-channel fashion brand, founded in 1948 by Bernard Lewis. The retailer has a presence in over 125 of worldwide markets, in stores and online. Best known for its trend focused womenswear offering, River Island also has menswear, kidswear and pet collections. River Island’s collections are entirely designed in-house at the brand’s West London head office, and it was one of the first vertical fashion retailers in the UK. In the 1960s, it became an influential name in the womenswear fashion scene, under its previous name: Chelsea Girl. Today, River Island is considered a key player on the UK high street, with 250 stores across the country, including flagship locations in London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham, plus a significant online presence. In recent years, the business has expanded internationally, and continued to grow its online offer. River Island is a private company, and remains fully owned by the Lewis family. History Origins In 1948, Bernard Lewis started selling fruit and vegetables, from a market stall situated in an old bomb site in Notting Hill. Soon after, a second site, named The Wool Shop, opened, selling knitting wool and a small amount of ladies clothing. Responding to the post-war demand for women’s clothing, Lewis shifted the business focus to clothing and began designing and making clothes in-house. The company sold its first own made design in 1950 – a white, lace trimmed blouse with capped sleeve. Joined by his three brothers, the chain expanded to nine stores under the title Lewis Separates. Chelsea Girl and the 1960s Led by the Lewis family, the business was an influential name in the 1960s fashion scene. By 1965 Lewis Separates had a 70 store empire in the UK and it was decided that the brand needed a new identity. Lewis Separates was re-branded to Chelsea Girl, named after the brand's store on King's Road in Chelsea - at the time a hub of fashion, music and popular culture. Chelsea Girl was a key driver of the iconic mini dress trend. According to Bernard Lewis, the business pivoted production to focus on mini dresses in response to strong sales, and between spring and autumn 1965, mini dresses grew from 5-6% of sales to 50%. The Chelsea Girl name was revived in 2011, with a capsule collection in UK stores focusing on retro styles. In 2022, Chelsea Girl was refreshed again, focusing