Autry, the sneaker brand rooted in the vintage Americana aesthetics, is making its retail debut in London.

The footwear label, best known for its hero Medalist sneakers, is opening its first standalone flagship store on London’s Beak Street on Thursday. In the first half of 2025, the company will follow up with a new boutique in Paris.

The sneaker sensation, which in 2024 preliminary figures reported sales of 120 million euros, is standing by the plan announced last year to open about 20 monobrand stores in the mid-term.

In March last year, private equity fund Style Capital acquired a 51 percent stake in the brand, in a deal pegged at 300 million euros, as reported. The financial entity nabbed the majority interest from The Made in Italy Fund, managed by Quadrivio and Pambianco. The latter agreed to reinvest a share of 7 percent, while the remainder 42 percent is still owned by the founding Doro family. The Autry brand was reestablished in 2019.

“We’re on track with the original retail development plan, although the context is not easy,” said Roberta Benaglia, founder and chief executive officer of Style Capital, in an exclusive interview.

“London has always been a priority for the company, as well as Paris. Autry leverages a widespread [wholesale] footprint in Italy, so we don’t necessarily need to ignite brand awareness in our home country,” she offered.

The executive underscored that the urban undercurrent of the Autry brand perfectly resonates with London’s cosmopolitan attitude. The U.K., Autry’s fifth market by e-commerce sales, is also viewed as a bridge to the U.S., Benaglia said.

The London store, located in the heart of Soho, covers about 2,152-sq.-ft. and conveys a sophisticated and slightly industrial vibe. Walls and flooring are clad in granite stone, contrasted by the floccato-coated ceiling.

A floating shelving system and steel racks with a minimalist undercurrent punctuate the space, while bold décor choices add a touch of color. A big Klein blue carpet bearing the Autry logo stands out in the middle of the space, next to a red travertine display table, a red lacquered counter and a blue version of the Tufty-Time sofa by Patricia Urquiola for B&B Italia. The stadium-inspired lighting system nods to Autry’s athletic roots.

Marking the opening of the London flagship, the brand is dropping an exclusive capsule collection comprising a sweatshirt, T-shirt and baseball hat bearing a reinterpreted version of the Autry logo and the store’s address in pink lettering, as well as a special edition of the iconic Medalist sneakers.

A Paris flagship is next. Benaglia offered that “opening them in tandem allowed us to create two strongholds in two important cities for fashion.”

Autry has already tested the retail waters in recent months, with a range of shop-in-shops at leading department stores globally, including units at Rinascente in Milan and Rome; Galeries Lafayette in Paris; Hyunday and Lotte in Seoul, and Globus in Geneva, Switzerland.

Backed in confidence in direct-to-consumer by the substantial performance of e-commerce, currently representing about 25 percent of total sales, the executive underscored the importance of retail to spur further growth. She however opined that organic development and expansion are paramount, especially against a dampened outlook for fashion and luxury spending.

Italy remains Autry’s biggest market and the country where wholesale presence is more widespread. Benaglia said that the company has been retooling its distribution network to leverage scarcity and preserve the brand positioning.

“Autry operates in a bread-and-butter category of the market, with its iconic models,” Benaglia said, highlighting the importance of brand protection.

Since Style Capital took over majority ownership, investments have been made in building international awareness and appeal, for example through the launch of collaborations with artist Robert Pruitt during last December’s Art Basel Miami and with Japanese designer Mihara Yasuhiro, as reported. A new collab, to be unveiled later this year, is in the works, Benaglia said.

Considering countries by their e-commerce performance, France ranks first, followed by Italy, Germany, the U.S. and the U.K.

Stateside the brand has forged deals with key retailers, including Saks, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s, among others. “We approached the country three seasons ago with a local agency… there is still a lot to be done,” Benaglia said, underscoring that the focus is on consolidating the greater European area.

Asked about tariffs, she sounded cautious saying that Autry has no manufacturing in China, a big lift for the company.

Despite the step-by-step, organic approach to growth embraced under the guidance of Benaglia and Style Capital, Autry is moving fast. The brand recently took direct control of its South Korean operations, previously handled by a local partner, opening a subsidiary in the country and is to establish a joint venture in Japan that it will own a majority stake in.

“We want to be direct in all the markets that we believe can strategically lay the foundations for the future of the brand,” Benaglia said.

Autry started to approach the Chinese market in the past three seasons and not unlike the U.S., the Asian giant requires a thoughtful strategy, Benaglia said.

“We have no immediate plans for retail there, but rather to build on the small and carefully curated wholesale distribution,” she said. “The fact that we currently have little exposure to that market has preserved us from the effect of slowdown in spending there,” the executive offered.

In order to soften Autry’s dependence on its hero Medalist sneakers and cater to a wider audience, especially female, new styles have been introduced in the past 12 months, including the ‘60s-nodding Windspin and the chunky, active style Hyperway, aimed at female and fashion-forward  consumers, respectively.

Benaglia forecast sales in 2025 to reach 140 million euros, “a healthy growth amid a volatile market in which we think it’d be inappropriate to overexpose the brand.”