Her star power – and impeccable connections – have helped Samantha Cameron make a big splash with her fashion label Cefinn.
But now one of Britain’s biggest landowners is accused of being blinded by the ‘aura’ of the Foreign Secretary’s wife, who argued over the rent of her first permanent shop.
Her designer brand will open a store on Belgravia’s chic Elizabeth Street in the coming months, but at the expense of a much-loved family-run hair salon.
The owners of Issy’s have been surprised to learn that they cannot renew the lease on the prestigious property they have occupied for the past five years to make way for the Cefinn store.
And neighboring businesses are unimpressed as they fear the new store will not attract the same group of high-spending customers as the unisex salon, which charges more than £100 for a woman’s haircut and blow-dry. “This isn’t fair,” said one local owner.
Samantha Cameron has secured a location for her first permanent store for her fashion brand Cefinn
Unfortunately for the owners of Issy’s hair salon, the landlord does not want to renew their lease, allowing SamCam to take over the store
‘Issy’s is a great business and it brings a lot of foot traffic to this street. It’s very neighborly.
‘I know about Cefinn. It’s not my style, but my biggest concern is that it’s a women’s fashion store, so we’re going to lose the male customers of Issy’s.”
The salon’s lease with the Duke of Westminster’s Grosvenor Estate expired in the autumn and was given a short-term extension. There was hope that this would precede a new multi-year deal.
But instead Issy’s has been offered a home in nearby Eccleston Street, which is seen as a less prestigious location. The salon declined to comment, but a friend of the owners said: ‘They have spent tens of thousands of pounds refurbishing the place and now they will have to start from scratch somewhere else. I have the impression that Grosvenor thinks SamCam has an aura about her, but her clothes are not that famous and similar products are already sold in other shops on the street. They’ve pulled the rug out from under Issy’s and seem to have succumbed to a little star power.’
Grosvenor is said to have offered Issy’s money to fit out the new store, but details are yet to be finalised. It added: ‘We treat occupiers equally and fairly. Issy’s will expand to Eccleston Street in 2024.’ Cefinn declined to comment.