Albaray

Albaray was launched in April 2021 by three former Warehouse Group executives — chief executive Paula Stewart, previously group chief product officer of Oasis and Warehouse; creative director Karen Peacock, formerly Warehouse's design director; and commercial director Kirstie Di Stazio, formerly Warehouse's commercial director. The trio conceived the brand during the Covid-19 lockdown, positioning it as a sustainable, digital-first womenswear label aimed at women aged roughly 25 to 50, with garments priced under £90 and made predominantly from eco-viscose and organic cotton. The brand's name combines "alba," Spanish and Italian for dawn, with "ray," intended to evoke light or hope. After building sales through wholesale partners including John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Next and Fenwick and its own e-commerce site, Albaray opened its first physical stores in Bath and then Chichester, West Sussex, moving from a digital-only model into bricks-and-mortar retail roughly two and a half years after launch.