The story
Founded by Richard Hayne in 1984.1
In the early 1970s, Richard Hayne opened a store in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with his first wife, Judy Wicks, and named it Free People. His store attracted the young people who lived and shopped in the area. When its popularity grew, he opened a second store, and he changed its name from Free People to Urban Outfitters. Urban Outfitters’ business began to grow rapidly. Dick’s then wife, Meg, oversaw the development of Urban Outfitters’ private label division, which supported product exclusive to Urban Outfitters. This proved to be quite successful; by 1984, the wholesale line "Free People" was back in action.
In the fall of 2002, the first Free People Boutique opened in Paramus, New Jersey. Since the first boutique opened, there are now boutiques all over the United States and Canada. Free People developed an app which allows users to shop and to upload their own looks and pictures wearing Free People clothing and products.
In 2006, Free People partnered with Ed Mullen Studio to design an e-commerce strategy.
As of 2021, Free People sells in over 1,400 specialty stores worldwide. Some department stores, such as Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's, have created in-store concept shops.
Along with serving as Urban Outfitters' chief creative officer, Margaret Hayne is also currently chief executive of Free People.
In the first six months of 2013, sales topped $180 million, an increase over the $135 million in 2012; the company's use of big data and social commerce were factors in its sales growth.
From Wikipedia’s article on Free People, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3