A guide Brought to you by for international media Edition 4 – June 2015 Manchester England visitbritain.com/media Contents Contents ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 Quick facts about Shopping in Britain .................................................................................................. 3 Introduction to Shopping is GREAT ...................................................................................................... 4 Why go shopping anyway?! .................................................................................................................... 5 Ten great British designers .................................................................................................................... 8 Ones to watch: Ten fashion stars of the future ................................................................................ 10 Time for a history lesson: the department store ............................................................................. 12 Capital shopping outside of London .................................................................................................... 13 Independent Shopping in the UK: a directory ................................................................................... 17 LONDON ................................................................................................................................................. 17 ENGLAND ............................................................................................................................................... 19 SCOTLAND ............................................................................................................................................ 24 WALES ................................................................................................................................................... 27 NORTHERN IRELAND .........................................................................................................................28 Luxury Shopping in the UK: a directory............................................................................................. 29 ‘The Duchess effect’ ............................................................................................................................... 37 Kings and Queens of cool; Britain’s trendiest streets and neighbourhoods ............................ 39 Bargain shopping ..................................................................................................................................... 42 Britain: tailor made for men ................................................................................................................ 45 London Collections: Men .................................................................................................................. 49 Gentleman’s Relish – stylish London on a plate ......................................................................... 49 Clothes fit for a king or queen: royal warrants explained ............................................................ 55 Celebrity shopping haunts .................................................................................................................... 57 Clothing with a conscience .................................................................................................................. 59 British babywear: fit for a prince or princess .................................................................................... 61 British spa products and where to be pampered ........................................................................... 65 Best of British Beauty: where to go for make-up, nails and hair ................................................ 69 Hair today, gone tomorrow ............................................................................................................. 69 Beauty School Drop In: Where to find the best British beauty brands ................................... 71 Hard as Nails ........................................................................................................................................ 73 A taste of the past – marvellous museum shops ............................................................................. 74 The unique, unusual, quirky: where to find specialist shops in Britain ...................................... 78 Make it, then take it home! .................................................................................................................... 81 Multi-use shops ........................................................................................................................................ 83 Shopping 1 Take the kids – British shops for children ........................................................................................ 85 9 High-Tech Shopping Experiences .................................................................................................... 87 Sports luxe stores .................................................................................................................................. 89 Rummage for gold! The best markets ............................................................................................... 90 Vintage fairs and festivals .................................................................................................................... 93 Bookstores for book lovers .................................................................................................................. 95 Festival fever – shopping and dressing the part at British music festivals .............................. 96 Get the festival look ............................................................................................................................... 98 Festival Shopping List – Top 10 Must-buys .................................................................................. 98 Gifts – show them you love them (and had fun without them!) .................................................. 99 Hats – an essential British accessory ............................................................................................... 103 Made in Britain ....................................................................................................................................... 104 Fashion Dates for the Diary: a UK calendar .................................................................................... 106 June 2015. Editor: Stephanie Siegle, VisitBritain [email protected] Contributors: Rmishka Singh, Richard Mellor, Roxanne Clark, Chris Mugan, Stuart Haggas Please direct enquiries to [email protected] Shopping 2 Quick facts about Shopping in Britain Did you know? Thanks to the widespread adoption of new technologies, Britain’s high-streets are the coolest retail environments around. Read all about them on page 87 You can be fashion conscious and environmentally conscious Find out more about where to buy ethical clothing in Britain on page 59 Britain is a hotbed of fashion flair, so shop for these cutting-edge designers’ clothes, shoes and accessories to champion these design stars of the future. See page 8 You can get Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Burberry and Paul Smith at discounted prices at Bicester and other retail outlets! Find out more about bargain hunting ideas on page 42 Bennetts of Derby is the world’s oldest department store – it started in 1734. Read about Britain’s department stores, from heritage to cutting edge, on page 12 Vinyl sales are booming in Britain – here’s where to find independent record stores, including the world’s oldest in Cardiff. Find out more on page 93 Children visiting Britain will find toys, sweets and magic galore! Find out some great places where the kids can spend their holiday money on page 85 Britain’s has some of the hippest shopping neighbourhoods in the world. Discover independent shops and quirky essentials on page 39 Royal Warrants are awarded by The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and The Prince of Wales, or in some cases all three! They range from handbag makers to mustard makers – read more on 55 You can buy your toddler a kilt! Little Legs Baby Kilts will make one up for a real ‘mini- me’, and have started cute pinafores for little ladies. See page 61 for more on babywear and kidswear Selfridges has the world’s largest men’s shoe department and the world’s largest denim department; London has the biggest Chanel and Burberry stores worldwide, and Westfield Stratford City in East London is the largest shopping destination in Europe! If you need any more reasons to shop, go to page 5 Is it a clothes shop? A café? A nightclub? Or all of the above? Get more than you bargained for in the range of multi-use shops across Britain. See page 83 Museum shops are now destinations in their own right and the ideal place to pick up a thoughtful and unique gift. Find out how cultural institutions’ shops will satisfy even the trickiest giftees back home on page 74 Prince Charles buys his rugs from Solva Woollen Mill in Pembrokeshire, Wales. For more brilliant British home inspiration see page 104 Shopping 3 Introduction to Shopping is GREAT Cutting-edge designers and shops ingrained with tradition and history; quirky pop-ups and stores that have been selling their products for centuries. Dip into one of Britain’s classic department stores and