There's nothing quite like the feeling of trying a piece of clothing on in a shop — preferably one with good-size changing rooms and flattering lighting — and it fitting like a tailor-made glove. Covid did its best to rid us of such sensory joys, but I'm delighted to report that in-person shopping is making a major comeback.
‘The decision to open our first flagship store in Belgravia was a direct result of customer demand,' says Wiggy Hindmarch, founder of womenswear brand Wiggy Kit, whose pop-ups proved so successful that ‘a permanent space was an inevitable decision'.
I've always believed that in-store shopping gives us a better understanding of fabric, quality details and finishing touches, and what suits our bodies. Plus, it's impossible to tell how something will make you feel from a digital description. The opportunity to judge with our own eyes and hands will always be more fun, fruitful and efficient than doom-scrolling online.
When menswear label Thom Sweeney launched its Autumn/Winter collection, they decided to step away from e-commerce altogether. ‘We wanted to go back to our roots to focus on what we have always done best,' said founders Thom Whiddett and Luke Sweeney, ‘getting to know the client and dressing them in person.' Collections are still visible on the website, but treat it less like a catalogue and more like an invitation to visit the Old Burlington Street, Mayfair, store.
This month, American brands Loeffler Randall, famed for its pleated bow shoes and citing 'British appetite', and Ulla Johnson threw open the doors to their London flagship stores on Chiltern Street and Sloane Street, respectively. DeMellier will follow in their fashionable footsteps this autumn, in Chelsea, and Dunhill is busy putting the finishing touches to its new flagship shop in Mayfair.
Somewhat residential in feel, these retail spaces often comprise gallery walls and spaces to relax in among the rails, and sometimes cafés and gardens. Occasionally, they open inside actual former townhouses — like Audemars Piguet.
I, for one, am delighted and ready to move in. It's goodbye clicks and hello bricks.