It may be a giant American retailer favoured by Michelle Obama, but J Crew, will be sliding discreetly into Britain this week with a small menswear shop in Bloomsbury, central London.
The shop, selling suits and shirts, will be nestled among the hip men's fashion and home furnishings stores, mostly independently owned, on Lambs Conduit Street.
"We just loved the street, it's like a stage set," said Mickey Drexler, J Crew's chairman. "We are trying not to do the big US company coming to London. We want to be low-key."
The menswear shop precedes the opening of a flagship store on Regent Street due to open in early November, while a boutique womenswear outlet will open in Brompton Cross, west London.
He said the stores were intended to build awareness for the brand's existing UK online store and no further outlets had been signed to date.
"We are seeing how it goes. There is a lot of demand there from what we feel and see in online business," Drexler said.
He admitted he was looking forward to opening the small "fun" stores after a difficult year for fashion retailers. "No one says it's tough, but it's tough," he said.