Express & Star

With its rich walnut fixtures, bespoke textured wallpapers, fancy tin ceiling tiles and antique picture frames, you could be forgiven for thinking you’re in the living room of a swanky home - either that or a trendy bar.

But this quirky venue is actually a fashion store - and its home is Merry Hill shopping centre.

Aside from the decor, the floor space is taken up by rails and rails of jeans, T-shirts, skirts, shirts and accessories, which all bear the name of the young British fashion brand Henleys.

It’s the firm’s first store in the West Midlands, and only its third in the country.

It caters for men and women aged from 18 to mid-30s, although the outfits do look as if they would attract the younger end of that age bracket. The fashions have a predominately casual and sporty feel with many featuring the brand name and its fleur de lys logo.

Providing a mix of urban chic and relaxed glamour, its attire incorporates T-shirts and denims to shirts and tailoring and the styles feature bold colours and quirky prints as well as multicoloured sequins.

They may not be Primark-style prices but the fashions shouldn’t break the bank either. Jeans range from around £60 while T-shirts are priced from £25 and hooded tops start at £50.

The Henleys shop design is as quirky as its fashion, with its ‘party at the manor’ concept focusing on the brand’s British heritage, say bosses.

Antique picture frames and walnut wardrobes, boutique-inspired wallpaper, black fabric lampshades, oak flooring and tin ceiling tiles feature in the design. And old black and white silent movies are played throughout the day in the store, with a screen behind the till above a pretend bar.

“We wanted to create a quirky yet contemporary shopping experience for customers,” said Darren Geritas, retail operations manager for Henleys.

Henleys was established as a fashion brand in 1996. Merry Hill is home to the firm’s biggest store.