Free People

Back in the 1970's, a young man named Dick Hayne planted a seed in the maze of streets and trees that make up west Philadelphia Pennsylvania, he opened a store and called it Free People. Free People nurtured the young people who lived there and shopped there, who looked for a little of their own freedom in the clothes they wore. As Dick's store grew from one to two, the name was changed from Free People to Urban Outfitters. In time, his wife Meg came on to tend Urban's private label division, which supported product exclusive to Urban Outfitters. Demand was almost immediate and, to meet this overwhelming need, she and Dick decided to create a wholesale line. It was very well received, so much so that Dick decided to separate the businesses. For a while, the wholesale line took on many personalities: Bulldog, Ecote, Cooperative, Anthropologie and then, in 1984, new life was breathed into the name Free People. Today, Free People is sold in 1,000 specialty stores worldwide.