Stores In The United Kingdom
From /fa/ Sticky
Store Tiers
Shit-tier: The stores that are a common beginner's trap, and should be avoided. Often have poor build quality, fit, and just look plain bad.
Mall-tier/Fast Fashion: Good for basics; t-shirts, underwear, socks, etc. Recommended for poorfags. Buy sparsely and do NOT build a large wardrobe with these stores.
Low-tier: Bit more pricey, but at this stage odds are you'll be dressed much better than people around you. Build quality is a cut above mall tier. Tumblr-core usually fits around here.
Medium-tier: Some entry level designer pieces, and at this point the clothes are very "nice". Quality menswear/streetwear often fits in this category. Fit and build quality are high.
High-tier: High fashion, designer pieces. Top tier menswear as well as some light gothninja pieces can be found here.
Artisanal-tier: Hand-made with skill that approaches that of an artist. This has nothing to do with design and everything to do with production methods. A boring design done fully by hand (example: a full bespoke two button suit) is 'artisianal'. Many designers source their clothing from artisans, but not all designer clothing is 'artisianal'.
| Brand | Tier | Description | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Apparel | Mall/Fast fashion | Has basic t-shirts in a variety of cuts. Tees fit well even for slimmer people. | http://www.americanapparel.net/ |
| All Saints | Medium | Decent construction but sub-par materials for the price, they often try to sneak cheap fabrics into the mix. Good for edgier clothing on a budget, but advised to buy only on sale, avoid their jackets unless at a steep discount - the jeans and t-shirts are arguably their best products. | http://www.allsaints.co.uk/ |
| ASOS | Mall/Fast fashion | Online. For the home brand quality can be variable, although as the price entails it usually isn't the best. The site also offers items from higher-tier brands. Frequent sales. | http://www.asos.co.uk/ |
| Atoo | Medium | Online, Birmingham, good sales, average selection, mostly heritage. | http://www.atoo.co.uk/ |
| Albam | Medium | Online, London. Pretty minimal stuff, is slightly heritage-influenced. | http://www.albamclothing.com/ |
| Ben Sherman | Low | Menswear. Nothing special, excellent for good quality basics. | http://www.bensherman.com/ |
| The Bureau | High | Online, Belfast. Stocks a wide range of designer brands, including some that are fairly difficult to acquire in the UK, including visvim, Ten C, and Needles. | https://www.thebureaubelfast.com/ |
| Cos | Low | Online, London. Owned by H&M, but better materials and a more mature aesthetic. More designer influence - best for its particular minimal, Jil Sander-influenced look in its price range. | http://www.cosstores.com/ |
| Dogfish | Medium | Online, Cambridge, Norwich (also incorporates Sevenwolves in Cambridge and Norwich). | http://www.dogfishmen.co.uk/ |
| End Clothing | Medium | Online, Newcastle. Wide range of brands stocked, including some Japanese streetwear brands - WTAPS, Neighborhood. Good sales, also has a horrific "Monday Blues" competition on facebook, post an outfit, win a £50 voucher. Everyone in it always looks terrible though. | http://www.endclothing.co.uk/ |
| Esprit | Medium | Basically a more interesting version of The Gap for the UK and Europe. Decent quality but a little overpriced, fortunately they have frequent sales. Nicely fitting shirts and chinos, plus good basics for women, but some designs are ugly/branded. Approach with some discretion. The field jackets are particularly nice when they have them. | http://www.esprit.co.uk/ |
| Farfetch | High | Online, sourced from boutiques around the globe. | http://www.farfetch.com/ |
| Flatspot | Low | Streetwear. Seasonal sales are good. | http://www.flatspot.com/ |
| FUSShop | High | Online. Streetwear - Norse Projects, Carhartt WIP, Edwin, New Balance etc | http://fusshop.co.uk/ |
| Goodhood Store | Medium | Online, London. Recently opened a homeware store too, has a cool range of brands. | http://goodhoodstore.com/ |
| H & M | Mall/Fast fashion | Its not the worst for the price. Some stuff looks good. | http://www.hm.com/gb/ |
| The Great Divide | Medium | Online. Fairly small range, but has good sales and frequent discount codes. | http://thegreat-divide.com/ |
| Hackett | Medium | Menswear. Good quality and plenty of variety. Large selection of shirts. | http://www.hackett.com/ |
| Harrods | High | Very renowned retailer. Mostly high end clothing. | http://www.harrods.com/ |
| Kafka | Medium | Online, Aberdeen. Similar range of brands as End Clothing, but more focus on heritage type clothing rather than streetwear. | http://www.kafka.co.uk/ |
| Liberty | High | Large selection of high and middle range brands. From MMM to A.P.C to Alexander McQueen. Highly recommend going to the actual store in London, very helpful staff. | http://www.liberty.co.uk/ |
| Mr. Porter | High | The male version of Net-a-Porter. Designer clothing from Givenchy, Prada, Alexander McQueen, Loro Piana, etc. | http://mrporter.com/ |
| Mandon | Medium | Contains a number of relatively small menswear brands. Good if you can catch a sale. | http://www.themandonstore.com/ |
| Massimo Dutti | Low | Very good for putting together simple traditional menswear on a budget. | http://www.massimodutti.com/ |
| Next | Mall/Fast fashion | For cheap clothes the construction is decent. Occasionally have nice items but do not spend too much here. While some times they make alright looking trendy clothes they aren't the most 'hip' brand. Chinos/Jeans fit like shit. | http://www.next.co.uk/ |
| Oi Polloi | Medium | Online, Manchester. Originally focused on the 'casuals', has now developed and become one of the premier menswear stores in the North. | http://www.oipolloi.com/ |
| Oki-Ni | High | Online, High-Med menswear. Good sales. Has own collabs with designers such as Damir Doma, Addidas | http://www.oki-ni.com |
| Pull and Bear | Mall/Fast fashion | Similar to H&M, good for copping basics. | http://www.pullandbear.com/ |
| Ralph Lauren | Low | Overpriced for the quality, has some decent pieces but are often ruined by rampant branding. | http://www.ralphlauren.com/ |
| Reiss | Medium | Mostly menswear. Quite similar to Ted Baker. | http://www.reiss.com/ |
| River Island | Mall/Fast fashion | Extremely similar to TOPMAN; but with slightly better durability. Very good for basic tees. | http://riverisland.co.uk |
| Selfridges | High | Very similar to Harrods. Mostly stocks high end pieces but also sells mid range items as well. | http://www.selfridges.com/ |
| Serge DeNimes | Medium | Typical streetwear/tumblrcore store. Pretty cool designs. Owner is Oliver Proudlock from UK show Made In Chelsea. | http://sergedenimes.com/ |
| Stuarts London | Medium | Mostly stock medium tier but also sell low tier. Huge number of brands ranging from Armani Jeans and Barbour to New Balance and Red Wing. | http://www.stuartslondon.com/ |
| Ted Baker | Medium | Menswear and womenswear. Mostly known for large variety of high quality shirts and dresses. The polos are nice but the quality may be dubious at times. | http://www.tedbaker.com/ |
| Topman | Mall/Fast fashion | Similar to ASOS it tends to be hit and miss, however they do have a good returns policy and if you avoid the typical 'lad' items (usually t-shirts with pop culture references) it should be decent. Their Stretch skinny jeans and chinos stretch out quite a bit. Suits and blazers are great looking especially considering the price | http://www.topman.co.uk/ |
| Uniqlo | Low | Online, London, possibly other cities too? Great for the price, but don't buy your whole wardrobe here or you'll look boring as fuck. Has detailed measurements for all it items online. | http://www.uniqlo.com/uk/ |
| Urban Outfitters | Low | Decent clothes, a little more on the expensive side of fast fashion. Use discretion - some pieces are wildly overpriced for the quality. | http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/ |
| Zara | Mall/Fast fashion | Notorious fast-fashion retailer. Jumps aboard every trend's bandwagon and mass produces their own knock-off versions. Poor quality clothing for cheap. Generally very slim-fitting. Not awful if used sparingly. | http://www.zara.com/ |
| Yoox | Medium | Sales website. Stocks huge amount brands at large discounts. Usually items from old collections or unsold stock. If you have the time to trawl through the pages, sweet bargains can be found. | http://yoox.com/ |
| Primark | Shit | Everything is made of sub-par materials by highly-controversial sweatshops abroad. Pretty much everybody shops here. Whatever they sell will be in fashion but will fall apart within two weeks. Only buy from here if you're going to a festival or something. | http://www.primark.com |
