Basics instinct

ROLEX is to watches what Joseph is to the multi-label concept store. Before shops used the terms "curation" and "edit" to describe their selection of merchandise, and the notion of a café-boutique is as common as Carrara marble-effect iPhone cases, fashion retail icon Joseph Ettedgui was revolutionising the London shopping scene in the 1960s, stocking coveted sweaters by pal Kenzo Takada and hosting fashion insider pals at Joe's Cafe.

"I grew up in London during the nineties and Joseph was at the epicentre of the London fashion scene," says the brand's creative director Louise Trotter. "I remember buying my first pair of Joseph black boot-cut pants and it felt like a rite of passage, he was a huge influence on my aesthetic and the brand's DNA is very much a part of my own."

So it is about time that the store has finally opened its first outpost here at Capitol Piazza, a 350 square metre space offering a complete assortment of its in-house women's and men's ready-to-wear collections and a range of shoes from brands such as Isabel Marant and Jil Sander.