Interviews

I chose to interview some members of staff from the stores that I visited to try to get a better idea of how strongly the types of people in London differ, their opinions and inspirations.

STAFF OF IRREGULAR CHOICE, CARNABY STREET.

Who is your Style icon?
Yohji Yamamoto.

Where is your favourite place to shop?
American Apparel or Brick Lane.

What is your essential fashion item?
My Vivienne Westwood dress!

Describe your personal style in 3 words?
Minimal, black, creative.








STAFF OF TOPSHOP, OXFORD STREET.

Who is your style icon?
Pixie Lott.

Where is your favourite place to shop?
Camden Market.

What is your essential fashion item?
My faux fur coat for the winter and my strawberry print playsuit in the summer!

Describe your personal style in 3 words?
Trendy, fun, playful.

Super Superficial, Carnaby Street.

Super Superficial is situated on Carnaby street next to "Benefit" cosmetics. They sell hoodies, sweatshirts and mostly t-shirts all of which have feature illustrations drawn by various artists just trying to get their word and style across.
It's a new and upcoming business that seems fresh and fun. The price ranges from around £10 - £40 per t-shirt, making it appealable for a variety of customers.
I got the chance to speak to the sales assistant working in the small Carnaby Street store for a while, she was really friendly and was excited to tell me about the brand.
There was no music playing in the store and I was the only shopper in there at the time, so it gave me a chance to take in the whole of the store. The decor was completely stripped back, using only timber wood, it almost looked un-finished however seemed to fit the laid back, fresh feel of the garments that were sold there.
They also have loyalty stamp cards similar to those you find in coffee shops, "buy 10 t-shirts get one free", which i felt was a fun and exciting approach at promoting their products!

Irregular Choice, Carnaby Street.

Irregular Choice is one of my favourite shops in London. It is primarily a shoe shop however on entering you're surrounded by flashing lights, shooting stars, graffitied forests, spaceships and rainbows all as part of the unique decor featured in the store.
Platformed shoes, boots, pumps, heels, jellies and trainers and just some of the footwear they sell in all shapes and sizes in front of the rose printed wallpapered walls.
The stores themselves bring out exclusives that you can't buy anywhere else, each pair is individually numbered.
The music they played in there made me feel as if i was in a fairground, and the staff were all dressed as if they worked there. The manager had on a shirt and bow tie, with platformed brogues, and the other female staff were dressed in black, all with pieces of jewelery sold in the store.
It not only sells unique and innovative footwear but, a new handbag line, a new girls’ sneaker range titled ICED and clothing releases.
I wasn't allowed to take photos of the store inside but i did my best to photograph the outside of the store to get a feel for it.

Urban Outfitters, Oxford Street.

Urban Outfitters is situated next to Topshop on London's Oxford Street. It's one of many Urban Outfitters in London but this is the largest.
On entering I noticed that it wasn't quite as busy and hectic as Topshop was with it not being as big. There was a well dressed member of staff standing by the door to greet entering customers to the store.
Again there was loud music playing, the music they play in Urban Outfitters is often a mix of their own music that is then sold in the store itself. Music is a big part of the shops personality and is well known for selling some lesser known interesting albums.
The Kistune Maison Compilations are a french electronic music producer that sell their music in the stores that is often played as you shop too.
The store's general aesthetic is very minimal and played down. It features alot of wooden decore and looks stripped down. I found this was a good way to present the shop as I found myself focusing alot more on the garments and products themselves rathert than the way the store was decorated and getting side-tracked.
The staff were all wearing clothes from the store as adveritsment and were all very helpfull.
The price points of the shop vary highly, making it appealing for a variety of customers. They have their own range of garments, a large vintage clothing section as well as featuring garments from the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Acne and Chloe.
There was a wide range of products in the store also such as books, home accessories, gifts, stationary and photography which i felt gave the store a different feel to most other high street shops. It was playfull and fun most definitely quirky.

Topshop, Oxford Street

A trip to Oxford Street's Topshop is always an exciting one. Being conveniently positioned directly opposite the busy Oxford Circus tube station, this store is always extremely busy.

On entering the first thing I noticed were the beautifully dressed mannequins facing me. The colours of the garments on the mannequins featured mainly creams, greys and whites for their autumn/winter 2010 collection, all very muted. However the makeup on the mannequins were bright and quirky, contrasting to the outfits completely.
The music was loud and up beat, featuring alot of current songs from the charts as well as others a little less known but just as funky.
The shop was very busy not only with customers but with products, garments and accessories. There was stuff everywhere you could spend hours just on this first floor.
The staff were all very fashionable and confident to dress differently, wearing items from the store itself, with unconventional hair styles and more makeup than neccessary, making it very obvious that they were staff there.
The overall look and feel of the shop, although busy and hectic; was very proffessional, modern and slick.