Discover 7 Insider Fashion Destinations Putting The Joy Back Into Shopping

When so much of living consciously is predicated on the inevitable compromises we have to make with consumerism, shopping in 2024 – in some ways a hellscape of rush, speed, and compulsion where people get into physical fights over slashed-price televisions – might also present an opportunity to challenge our spending habits. It’s why so many independent brands – among them Raeburn – choose to cease trading on days like Black Friday: to protest against fashion’s systemic overproduction and its subsequent role in the climate emergency. It’s about encouraging people to buy better, not more. To be conscientious consumers.

Of course, not all discounts signal mindless consumption – many of us may sensibly wait for a sale before buying a product we’ve wanted for a long time – but it’s nonetheless estimated that 29 per cent of shoppers in the UK spend the most on clothing and shoes during the winter sales. But there is also another point: that scouring for online deals actively scrambles the nervous system and takes the pleasure out of shopping, which should be about the joy of discovering something unique and unusual that makes you feel unique and unusual. And so – to redirect attention from Big Tech’s bargain basement – I present to you a handful of special, independent retailers that are enriching the landscape of fashion.

HTOWN

Harry Fisher spent four years as a buyer for the cult Soho boutique Machine-A before taking the plunge and striking out alone. htown – which opened its first location in the eye of the storm that was the 2020 pandemic – stocks some of the most exciting designers working in fashion (Martine Rose, Y/Project, JW Anderson, Saul Nash and Mowalola), and has just opened its new outpost in Spitalfields. “I am really excited about this space,” Fisher says. “The location is set over 1000 square feet in a residential listed building with four curated rooms. It embodies unconventional retail!” Check it out: 147 Commercial Street, E1 6BJ.

Fantastic Toiles

Fantastic Toiles – the brainchild of the brilliant Nasir Mazhar – is a concept marketplace with monthly pop-ups in and around London. Beloved of the city’s more avant-garde dressers, there you will find designers like Paolo Carzana and Benny Andallo and Leo Carlton and 4fsb and Noki and Gentle Mutilation (among so, so many others) hawking one off-creations made from sustainable textiles.

Aro Archive

Aro – something of an insider secret – is an independent archival fashion company based in Shoreditch. It specialises in Japanese, Belgian, French and British clothing with a focus on directional, but wearable design, all of which is pre-owned and has been hand-sourced by its team. Think: Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, Comme Des Garçons, Helmut Lang, Maison Martin Margiela, Raf Simons, Ann Demeulemeester and Jean Paul Gaultier.

APOC Store

Established in 2020, APOC Store has fast become a lodestone for weird and wonderful design. As an alternative to traditional retailers, the website provides a platform for emergent designers and artists to sell unique, hand-made items without stringent delivery windows or order minimums. So far, its roster includes hundreds of fledgling artisans: among them Garbagecore, Olivia Ballard, Ramp Tramp Tramp Stamp, Veredas, and Alectra Rothschild. APOC didn’t want to participate in Black Friday so it launched a large drop of exclusive pieces made from deadstock and upcycled materials weeks ago.

Lunch

Lunch – based in Glasgow, which also happens to be where Versace chose to open its first store outside Italy in 1991 – has taken a seasonless approach to retail: focused on promoting slow and sustainable brands from all corners of the world. Their roster of brilliant (and berserk) designers include the likes of Carboot, Trashy Clothing and Korlekie.

Haut Corporation

Another “if you know, you know” location, Haut Corporation just opened its first store on Hackney Road. And it is really a fashion person’s treasure trove: all archive Vivienne Westwood, Miu Miu, Issey Miyake and Balenciaga. Plus, they also offer loans for stylists. Of course, some of the best pieces aren’t for sale – like OG Christopher Kane – making it a bit like a museum, but you can touch the art.

Momosan Shop

“I’m attracted to objects that reflect the personality of the maker, that speak to me and make me smile,” says Momoko Mizutani. “I opened Momosan Shop aiming to create a place to showcase and sell homewares and objects made by skilled independent craftspeople – somewhere akin to the pottery shops of my native Japan.” That means lots of slack-lined worker jackets and wooden clogs, jute shoes and typewriter dresses.