The name came when Selfridges' owner Charles Clore saw a 'Miss Bonwit' window aimed at teenagers in New York and launched the idea across his stores. By 1969 there were independent high-street branches; the first mannequins were modelled on Twiggy, and early paper dresses were designed by Sylvia Ayton and Zandra Rhodes, with Pierre Cardin commissioned for exclusive collections.
Acquired by the Arcadia Group in 1999 and run under Sir Philip Green, the brand was an early adopter of Kate Moss campaigns. When Arcadia went into administration in late 2020, ASOS bought Miss Selfridge on 1 February 2021, closing the stores and relaunching it online.