About The Brand Free People apparel, shoes, and accessories are for the confident girl who’s creative, smart, and can’t resist petting a dog-from the sweet to the tough, the tomboy to the romantic. It began when Dick Hayne opened a small, unique store in West Philadelphia in 1970 called Free People. The store grew to include multiple locations and the name was changed to Urban Outfitters. As the brand continued to grow, Hayne and his wife realized it was the original concept of Free People that