Construction has just started on an Ulla Johnson store on London’s Sloane Street. Set to open in August, it’s to be her first standalone boutique outside the US, a milestone and a key to unlocking brand growth. In that regard, it’s been a big 2026 already; after two years in development, Johnson launched a trio of fragrances. “All of them are evocative of a certain memory,” she said. “It had to feel very personal. There’s so much product out there that feels mass-oriented.”
The seriousness of running an independent business aside, Johnson is a sensualist by nature. It comes across in her eau de parfums, the bottle caps of which were sculpted by the LA artist Jonathan Yamakami. And, of course, it’s obvious in her new resort collection. For resort, she collaborated with another artist, Cassi Namoda, whose floral canvases became large scale prints on brightly colored silk twill dresses and informed the lavish made-in-Italy jacquards of a sleeveless top and full skirt set. Also eye-catching: the more delicate flower prints on chiffon dresses and separates, and the three-dimensional rosette embroideries of a going-out top she paired with jeans.
After pretty print frocks, knits are another big draw at Johson’s brand. Beyond the hand-crocheted dresses, short and long, that she’s made a signature, she experimented here with a spangled three-piece set (cardi, mini, and cropped tank) and, more convincingly, with fun black-and-white dresses featuring varying amounts of fringe. Even as her offering expands into basics categories, the selling point of Johnson’s clothes is their unexpected details. The waistband of five pocket jeans cut in a barrel-like shape is embellished with brass hardware, eliminating the need for a belt. Another pair of jeans, shown with a matching bomber jacket, was jacquarded with a feathery motif that she promised will get more pronounced with each washing. And, yes, they can go in the machine.
