Denim guru Donna Ida has launched a pop-up at The Franklin hotel this summer to celebrate 20 years of her fashion brand
Words: Luciana Bellini
“Blue jeans are the most beautiful things since the gondola,” said the legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland in her 1980 book, Allure. She's not wrong – any woman will tell you that a great pair of jeans is the most hardworking item in her wardrobe. And if you're looking to invest in some transformational denim, the person to go to is Donna Ida.
Known as the “jean queen” of London, Donna has been the authority on all things denim since she launched her first eponymous store on Draycott Avenue in 2006, selling high-end jeans to the discerning residents of Chelsea, Belgravia and Knightsbridge. A store on Elizabeth Street followed in 2010, as did a boutique in The Village at Westfield, White City.
While she shuttered her shops several years ago, she has retained a strong presence online and through various pop-ups across the city, the latest of which is taking place this summer at The Franklin hotel in Knightsbridge to celebrate the brand's 20th anniversary. Donna held several pop-ups in the hotel's chic garden suite throughout the spring, and it's here that I meet her to catch up on her plans to mark the brand's milestone birthday.
It was actually her husband, restaurateur Robert Walton (whom Donna refers to as “Bobby Dazzler”), who tound the venue tor her. “I was looking for a great place and Bobby Dazzler said: ‘Why don't you speak to [general manager] Stefano at The Franklin?' I didn't actually know the hotel, but as soon as I saw it, I realised it was perfect.”
The suite has been transtormed into an Aladdin's Cave of denim for the pop-up, with jeans piled high on the bed and rails of new-season styles lining the room. Donna was working in marketing when she had her lightbulb moment. “I was sitting with a friend in La Brasserie on Brompton Road and I said: ‘I want to start my own business.!' She said: ‘Well, you love jeans so much, you wear them every day. Why don't you open a shop that just sells jeans?' I thought about it overnight and then I was just like: ‘This is what I'm doing.! Since then, I haven't for a second thought it wasn't the most wonderful idea ever.”
The Donna Ida boutique started out by selling the most sought-after denim brands of the moment – J Brand, Paige, James Jeans. But it wasn't long before Donna realised there was something missing from her collection: high-waisted jeans. “I had so many customers telling me that was what they wanted and none of the brands were doing them. So I decided to make them myself. I had always wanted to create my own brand and that was the start of it. That's the thing – your customers will always tell you what your business is.”
Her designs took off and since 2016 she has only stocked her own brand, which now includes a hugely popular range of jumpsuits, tops, T-shirts, knitwear and dresses. Many of the denim labels she originally stocked are no longer in business; when I ask her what sets Donna Ida apart, she says the answer is simple. “Customer service. I've always loved being hands-on with the customers, working in the shops and pop-ups. Building those relationships is key, because it means I understand exactly what they're looking for.” Her decades-long experience means she can instantly size a woman up and know exactly which style will suit her best. “It's all about understanding your body shape and leaning in to what looks great on you.”
As well as the pop-ups at The Franklin, Donna is exploring the possibility of a temporary space on Draycott Avenue, back where it all began. “That would be an amazing full circle moment,” she says. There are also plans to bring other brands into the mix for her summer residency at the hotel. “I want to turn The Franklin into a fashion hotel. I've been talking to brands like Lexy London, Karen Millen. We're in this sharing economy now – we should be sharing retail spaces too.”
As for how she manages to stay relevant two decades on, she says the secret is letting the products do the talking. “You always feel cool in jeans – modern, fresh, up to date. There's just nothing better than a great pair of jeans.”
Donnaâs neighbourhood favourites
Go-to restaurant – Daphneâs. I always have the zucchini fritti to start, followed by meatballs with roast potatoes and tiramisu for dessert. Itâs where I go for a treat meal.
Favourite Shop – Santa Maria Novella on Walton Street. I love their perfumes and stocking up on their Melograno in Scented Terracotta for my wardrobe.
The best hot chocolate – Carpo Knightsbridge â itâs off the charts. And I canât get enough of their macadamia nuts.
Favourite beauty spot – I always go to Salon Sloane to get my hair done. They do the best blow dries in town – ask for Christian.Â
