About Us

Our History

Sub Couture women's clothing boutique began as a small fashion label during the early 90’s, showcased in the iconic Hyper Hyper store on Kensington High Street alongside other designers including Pam Hogg and John Galliano.

The label started out with a feminine Angel inspired collection, standing out against the grunge trend at the time and its popularity meant that demand often outstripped supply. Two years later the label was stocked by over a hundred accounts worldwide including Harrods and a concession in Selfridges.

Husband and wife team, Derek and Louise Aiken, developed the label into a retail store, opening in Notting Hill in 1994. At the time Notting Hill was known for its antiques rather than its fashion but that soon changed and Sub Couture continues to be a leading light in the area.

The store opened solely stocking the Sub Couture label but later introduced complementary designers and accessories. Their ethos is to introduce and nurture new designers and each season they surprise and delight with a unique and original selection on offer.

We stock labels form all over the world:

Five Jeans Paris - France - Jeans and tees
Dream Fashions Clothing - Greece - Cotton dresses
Vilagallo - Spain - Fun colourful clothing 
Oneseason  - Australia - Cotton beach resort clothing 
Rino and Pelle - Nertherlands - Outwear, coats and jackets
Mos Mosh Jeans - Denmark - Jeans, sweaters and jackets

And many more  Patrizia Pepe,  Inoa Clothing, Majestic Filature, Victoria Plimsolls, Ash Shoes, Kanna Shoes, Freedom Moses, Traffic People Clothing, Gem Bazaar Jewellery, Pala Sunglasses, Connock London

29 years later they are still going strong in the heart of Notting Hill, and are proud of their heritage as the longest running fashion boutique in the area.

In July 2020 they open their second store, in the Cotswold town Stroud, known as Notting Hill with wellies in the newly regenerated Five Valley Shopping Centre. Unfortunately the pandemic took its toll and they decided to close in 2022.

Notting Hill has a very artistic background and Sub Couture have embraced this by exhibiting photographic work by the celebrity photographer Richard Young. Selling some of his limited edition photos of Freddie Mercury, Harry Styles, Kate Moss, Joan Collins which will be regularly updated along with the film stars and supermodels series

The Aiken duo deliver a very personal service and this store is loved by its loyal clientele which includes Julia Bradbury, Mica Paris, Tess Daley, Jodie Kidd and Angelica Houston to name but a few.

With the launch of their gorgeous new website Derek and Louise plan to build on their success for the fashion generations of the future. We’d love to hear what you think, whether you visit our store or our website. You can get in touch with Louise directly by emailing louise@subcouture.co.uk