1. Last Day for the b Store Sample Sale 

Catch it whilst you can, the b Store sample sale ends on Saturday 4th February. New lines have been added and many items have been further reduced! Items from  bStore’s own brand, Opening Ceremony, Pete Jenson and many more are all in the sample sale. Visit the b store sample sale at:

Unit 1.9 & Unit 1.10
Kingly Court
London
W1B 5PW

2. Bape Pirate Store Last Weekend

The pop up pirate store closes its door this Sunday. Don’t miss out on some great bargains on rare and hard to find Bape products. Read more about the store in this feature.

Visit the Pop-Up Bape Pirate Store at:

4 Upper James Street
London
W1F 9DG

3. KJ’s Laundry – up to 60% off sale

Fancy shopping a great London Boutique? Check out KJ’s Laundry in Marylebone. This independent boutique stocks fashionable women’s clothing from brands they source globally. They are having a massive sale too, up to 60% off! Visit TJ’s Laundry at:

74 Marylebone Lane
Marylebone
London
W1U 2PW

4. Albam Sale – Up to 60% off Sale

The Albam sale is coming to end, and to push those sales a little further they have further marked down sale items! Visit Albam at:

111a Commercial Street
Shoreditch
London
E1 6BG

5. Visit Anthem.

Why? Just because it is one of the coolest independent menswear stores to join Calvert Avenue in Shoreditch. The store stocks  a wide range of menswear brands such as Commes des Garçons, Dries van Noten, Marni and Rag & Bone; housing the very best UK and international brands under one roof. Read more about the store in this Store Focus feature.

Anthem have also come together with us to offer first time visitors to the boutique a 30% off discount by purchasing a Discovery Pass. The Discovery Pass can be bought online or via the iPhone app and will give users 30% off their first purchase. Visit Anthem at:

10-12 Calvert Street
Shoreditch
London
E2 7JN

Want more from Shoparazzi? Our iPhone shopping app is is available from iTunes and is fantastic for discovering London fashion on the go. Follow us on twitter via @Shoparazzi_UK and join us on Facebook. Of course, you can always visit our website to save 30-50% at top London boutiques while finding the best sample sales and high street sales.

Tara Starlet are having a sample sale this weekend on Saturday 4th February at 12pm. The vintage inspired clothing brand recreates clothing from the glory days of the 1930s – 1960s for that close-to-authentic Pin-up girl and Rockabilly look. Tara Starlet clothing is stocked online, across Europe and at our Store Focus boutique Revival Retro.

The dresses and playsuits from Tara Starlet really takes you back in time with their classic revivals. Many of the items are made with original buttons and some recycled fabrics, all of which is made locally in London. Fun and quirky looks that are environmentally friendly? This sample sale is must visit! There will be plenty of bargains at this one off sale, with dresses priced from £20, trousers at £15 and tops, skirts and shorts all priced at £10. A full range of sizes will also be available (size 6 – 16) and the sample sale will only accept cash payments. 10% of all sales will be given to the Marie Curie Hospice in Hampstead, another good deed from the guys at Tara Starlet!

Check out some of the looks from Tara Starlet below:

Visit the sample sale at:

5a Gransden Avenue
London Fields
Hackney
London
E8 3QA

Click “attending” on Tara Starlet’s Facebook Event for updates and more details.

All the details of this sample sale and many more are on the Shoparazzi app and website.

Want more from Shoparazzi? Our iPhone shopping app is is available from iTunes and is fantastic for discovering London fashion on the go. Follow us on twitter via @Shoparazzi_UK and join us on Facebook. Of course you can always visit our website to save 30-50% at top London boutiques while finding the best sample sales and high street sales

London high streets are thriving with the very best stores offering a whole new shopping experience in terms of types of clothes they sell, customer service, brands they chose to stock and the overall character and look of stores. Some would go as far to say, London is the best in the world for shopping.

Here, we are not talking about the stores which line the streets of Oxford Street, the same stores which also fill London’s shopping centres and its mega-malls (Westfield). We are talking about the independent boutiques in London. These small stores are the ones full of life, hiding in the smaller streets of London, the type of stores you have to seek out and visit for yourself; these are the stores which makes shopping in London truly unique.

Independents appear in small clusters, dotted around the trendiest parts of London, serving the most fashionable and style concious people in town. Independents survive in a community with other independents because it gives people a reason to visit an area, especially if they don’t live locally. If there was only one indie in an area so far away, would it really be worth their time to visit?

In this post we will be looking at the people and the power duos who have made a massive difference and impact on London’s independent boutique industry; shaping and making it into what we know today. They are the people who took the risk of starting up a store not knowing if they will last during our economic crisis, the people who challenge major high street brands and the influencers who saw the potential of setting up shop in relatively unknown areas successively turning it into a thriving hub for indies alike.

Continue reading after the flip to see who we think have made the biggest impact in the independent retailer business.

Joan Burstein founder of Browns:

Joan Burstein is known as the fairy godmother of fashion designers because of all her efforts of introducing new designers to London in her boutique Browns; designers who are now some of the best in the world. Browns first opened its doors in the 1970s on South Molton Street, and was the first to house collections from young designers who were relatively unknown, giving them a chance and space to showcase their talents.  Burstein eye for fashion allowed her to spot great talent before any of her competitors caught wind of them, talent from the likes of Hussein Chalayan and Matthew Williamson. Browns was also the first to store in the UK to stock brands such as Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren.

Philip Start and Brix Smith-Start founders of Start London:

Philip Start and Brix Smith-Start are known to be the pioneers of Shoreditch, after opening one of the first highly successful boutiques - Start - in East London in 2002. Without Start, Shoreditch wouldn’t be what it is today; the hottest spot in London for independent fashion boutiques. After the success of their first store, they opened an additional two stores all neighbouring each other and recently launched their online store. Everything in Start stores are meticulously edited to suit both Philip Start and Brix Smith-Start’s visions along with what their customers look for when they shop at Start.

Tom and Ruth Chapman founders of Matches:

Having been around for 24 years, Matches have come a long way since its first hand-painted boutique in Wimbledon. With 14 stores across the UK, Matches is more than just a little neighbourhood indie boutique in south west London, it is know a world renowned business.  With more and more Matches stores popping up in and around London over the years, Matches gained a reputation as the place to go to for the best high end fashion brands for locals who would rather not travel into central London. Tom Chapman and his wife Ruth Chapman agreed to launch Diane von Furstenberg’s first franchise store outside of the US in 2006. This proved to be more successful than first anticipated, leading to 3 more standalone stores opening as well as a lifelong friendship with Diane von Furstenberg.

James Shaw and Alastair Rae founders of Albam:

Since opening the first Albam store in 2006 in Soho, James Shaw and Alastair Rae have gone from strength to strength with three more stores under their belts and a thriving British menswear fashion brand. A brand which is just 5 years old, Shaw and Rae took the risk of opening four stores in a short period of time. This shows confidence in their brand, in their products and also shows to the world what it really means to take risks as the owner of an independent. The duo creates practical, timeless and sophisticated menswear with the philosophy to produce “Modern Crafted Clothing”. With such importance in the production of their clothes to be made strictly in Britain, Albam have grown a loyal fanbase of customers. Their customers not only sees Albam as a cool independent fashion brand who makes high quality staples, but also as a lifestyle choice.

Matthew Murphy and Kirk Beattie founders of bStore:

Launched originally as a shoe brand in 2001, Matthew Murphy and Kirk Beattie came together to create bStore. bStore has now grown into an innovative modern and stylish British mens and womens clothing brand, currently making major waves in the fashion industry. The first bStore was located in Savile Row where Murphy and Beattie selected a mix of up-and-coming and established designers to stock in their store alongside its eponymous clothing, shoe and accessory collections. They have now relocated to a fresh, newly designed and very trendy space on Kingly Street. With great passion, the duo have worked very hard together over the last ten years to make sure bStore collections are obtainable all over the world, rather than just in their London store. bStore collections are accessible by anyone in the world who is after the clean cut British style bStore offers. If you want to see what an established independent boutique looks like in London and experience a whole new shopping experience, this is definitely worth a visit.

Cathal McAteer founder of Folk

After working for various fashion houses including Nicole Farhi and YMC, Cathal McAteer set up his own men’s fashion label Folk in 2001. Focusing on the simple details of the products such as the quality and textures of the fabrication, McAteer turns simple everyday clothing into innovative, detailed and sometimes playful pieces for the Folk collections. Folk has gone from strength to strength in the last 10 years, with the introduction of sister brand Shofolk in 2004 and the success of four standalone stores in London as well as stores in Munich and Amsterdam. Folk has become an reputable internationally known fashion brand, available not only in their standalone stores in Europe but also hundreds of others stores worldwide.

Download the Shoparazzi app on iTunes

Follow us on Twitter for the latest app updates as well as sale updates: @Shoparazzi_UK

Like us on Facebook

Find out more information: www.shoparazzi.com

Having been open for just under a month, the new pop – up mall in Shoreditch has proven to be very popular. With well known brands such as Nike, Boxfresh, Puma and The North Face setting up shops within shipping containers in this new concept shopping space, Boxpark are already planning to open more temporary malls in the near future. Not only are there some great places to browse and shop, there are also some pretty tasty food spots to check out too.

Christmas is now less than a week away, who has yet to complete Christmas shopping? If this is you and you haven’t had the opportunity to visit Boxpark we suggest you print of the voucher below. A 20% off discount from a number of stores as well as a chance to get everyone’s presents? More than enough incentive to make a trip to Boxpark! The offer is valid right up until 24th December.

Happy Shopping!

Download the Shoparazzi app on iTunes

Follow us on Twitter for the latest app updates as well as sale updates: @Shoparazzi_UK

Like us on Facebook

Find out more information: www.shoparazzi.com

Maiden Shop
188 Shoreditch High Street
London
E1 6HU

This coming weekend seems the busiest time for sample sales, with so much choice, which ones are you going to attend? Be sure to let us know, feel free to tweet and Facebook us!

All the details of this sample sale and many more are on the Shoparazzi app and website.

Download the Shoparazzi app on iTunes

Follow us on Twitter for the latest app updates as well as sale updates: @Shoparazzi_UK

Like us on Facebook

Find out more information: www.shoparazzi.com

HUH. magazine recently opened the doors to its debut boutique based in the heart of gentrifying Stoke Newington, London. Having been in business for about a month, Shoparazzi had to check out the new store in our neighbouring area, and we are loving it! HUH. carries the very best of stylish, up-and-coming – mostly Nordic and British – labels all housed in their rather small but very cool “bricks-and-motar” store.

After much success with its online fashion, arts and culture magazine, what would make Editor-in-Cheif of HUH. magazine Jack Lowe decide to open a new boutique, especially during the UK’s current economic climate? With the help of HUH’s director of retail Robyn Ross, Lowe explains to us that the HUH. store was always going to be the next step for their brand, “Regardless of the magazine, we’ve always wanted to have a shop, but with the magazine as well it just seemed like a natural progression. We always write about fashion collections and labels, so it seemed logical to stock them as well.” HUH. chose a location which is about 10 minutes away from the more boutique-populated areas, giving it a chance to stand out as a independent boutique rather than just being one of many in Shoreditch.  Having lived in the Dalston area for over two years, Lowe has become quite attached to it and has noticed a growing trend with more creatives living in the area, “it is a great place to run the magazine from as well as have a shop.“ It seems that business, as well as trendy hot spots are all starting to move further north towards the Dalston / Stoke Newington areas, keeping HUH. one step ahead with the space they have already obtained in Stoke Newington.

Continue reading after the flip to find out more about the HUH. store as well as more photos from the store…

The store houses an eclectic mix of heritage and luxury brands such as Swedish Hasbeens, Carhartt, Pointer, WeSC and newly acquired b Store, with about 60% of the stock dedicated to menswear. Going forward to SS12 we will see a growing number of brands added to HUH’s list, featuring more womenswear, and international brands such as A.P.C., Orlebar Brown and Wood Wood. Lowe selected these brands to stock in the HUH. store because he wanted to find a mix of high-end and streetwear brands which were not only stylish but also prioritised craftsmanship in their collections.

The HUH. store has a clean and modern interior, with untreated woodwork used on the floors as well as display units giving the store a nice minimalistic feel which is not too overwhelming. Another great aspect of the store is the selection of magazines and books from Gestalten for sale and to browse. There is also a small coffee shop in store – coffee from local roasters Caravan - and an outdoor seating bench where you can chill out.

More than just a retail space, HUH. store is also a place to hang out and meet creatives alike; people who are also fans of brands on offer in store. The store is welcoming and a breath of fresh air to the Stoke Newington area, especially as no other independents stock the same type of clothes you will find in HUH. It is a social hub, a place to interact and share; just as you would whilst browsing HUH. magazine online.

Visit HUH. Store:

56 Stoke Newington Road
Stoke Newington
London
N16 7XB

Check out the HUH. store profile on the new and improved Shoparazzi website.

Download the Shoparazzi app on iTunes

Follow us on Twitter for the latest app updates as well as sale updates: @Shoparazzi_UK

Like us on Facebook

Find out more information: www.shoparazzi.com

If you have been around or passed the Shoreditch area in the last few months you would have seen the stacked black metal shipping containers right by Shoreditch High Street station. If, like us, you have eagerly been waiting for this new shopping experience to be unveiled, then the wait is almost over – 3 more days!

BoxPark is the first “pop-up mall” of its kind in the UK and is built up of 60 cargo containers on the unused railway goods yard. BoxPark will house shops for brands such as Calvin Klein, Nike, WeSC, Vans and Irregular Choice, as well as quirky quick-eat restaurants and charity tenets. This new retail revolution, the brain child of founder of Boxfresh and fashion brand consultancy Brands Incorporated Roger Wade, will without a doubt be a massive hit with locals and tourists who want to avoid busy mega-malls during this festive season.

Continue reading after the flip for more information about the opening and a 20% off voucher to use at BoxPark!

Initially this project / pop-up mall was set to open for August 2011, but it is now officially opening on the 3rd December 2011…perfect timing right before Christmas! To celebrate the opening of BoxPark they will be throwing a mini day party with live music and DJ sets. All stores will also be holding in-store events, such as cocktails and burlesque dances from lingerie brand Playful Promises. Oh, and did we mention the special 20% off voucher? If you are looking for unique gifts and clothes from niche brands then use this 20% off voucher and head to one of the participating stores for the ultimate Christmas present for that special someone. Click and print off the voucher below and celebrate the opening of BoxPark with all your favourite brands. The voucher is valid from Saturday 3rd December until 9th December.

Watch the video below if you want to find out more about BoxPark:

Boxpark Shoreditch from Roger Wade on Vimeo.

Download the Shoparazzi app on iTunes

Follow us on Twitter for the latest app updates as well as sale updates: @Shoparazzi_UK

Like us on Facebook

Find out more information: www.shoparazzi.com

Being based in the Shoreditch area means we are surrounded by a rich source of culture, art and fashion. We are fortunate to be nearby to all of this, making it easy for us to see all the new exhibitions and visit the best stores and boutiques London has to offers us. Last night saw the opening of INSA’s latest project ‘Girls on Bikes’ at Protein’s HQ. We headed over to Hewett Street to check out all the hotties on bikes, music, beer and tacos!

Graffiti artisit INSA showcased his latest project featuring photographs of scantily dressed women posing seductively on bikes in front of his signature style murals from all over the world. In INSA’s set of work he “orchestrates a conflicting dialogue between all the elements and explicitly subordinates the value of his own street art to both the possessed object of the bike and the overtly sexualized female presence.” To celebrate the opening of his exhibition, INSA collaborated with Milltag to create a collection of cycle jersey’s to accompany each of the 12 murals used in the Girls on Bikes photographs. Priced at £150 a piece the jerseys are a tad expensive but they are limited to only 3 in each colourway, perfect for any avid cycler’s who wants a top that stands out from the usual ones.

Continue reading for more photos from the night…

It was a great night with a massive turn up of friends, family and fans of INSA. Free beers, tacos, art, half naked women on bikes, and music? If that isn’t a formula for a great night then I don’t know what is. If you missed the launch, the exhibition in the Protein gallery will be open until 20th November 2011. Head over to the exhibition to check out INSA’s work, buy some artwork and maybe even a Milltag cycling jersey. Or just head on over to oogle the female form versus graffiti and sports.

Protein Gallery
18 Hewett Street
London
EC2A 3NN

Download the Shoparazzi app on iTunes

Follow us on Twitter for the latest app updates as well as sale updates: @Shoparazzi_UK

Like us on Facebook

Find out more information: www.shoparazzi.com

Anthem is the latest menswear boutique to join the residents on Calvert Avenue, giving the existing indie stores in the local area a real run for their money. Calvert Avenue in Shoreditch – the trendy hotspot of London’s East End – seems to be the new ‘it’ place to be when it comes to setting up luxury independent boutiques, rivalling those on Redchurch Street. Shoreditch is well known for its great selection of menswear boutiques. It is the haven for menswear boutiques; an area which has more high end independent menswear stores than anywhere else in London. Launched in August 2011, Anthem is still the newbie in town. Not only do they bring a bit of friendly competition to the longer standing boutiques, Anthem also brings with them a fresh take of luxury menswear with the very selective mix of international brands they choose to stock.

Continue reading to find out more about Anthem…

Anthem is the brainchild of Jeremy Baron and partner Simon Spiteri, formally the head of menswear of Liberty London. They had a shared vision to bring together unique brands from over the world to the UK, both known brands to the British market as well as the lesser known international brands. Their vision to house brands such as Commes des Garçons, Dries van Noten, Marni, Rag & Bone alongside introducing brands such as Vlas Blomme from Japan, Save Khaki from New York and Yves Andrieux from Paris to the UK came to live when Anthem was set up earlier this year. With such a huge array of brands and stand-out pieces available in store, Baron and Spiteri are not only a competitor for the locals, but also some of the biggest department stores in London.

Every brand and item is hand picked and sourced by Spiteri and Baron according to the design, fabric and craftsmanship, rather than just the current trends on your typical high street. They have a very specific style of classic, tailored pieces with elements one would relate to British heritage, even though most of the brands are international. Not only did the brands and items stocked impress us, the aesthetic of the Anthem store is another wow factor. The interior of the boutique is clean, fresh but with a real rustic feel to it from the use of the natural elements – metalwork, raw brick walls, unfinished wooden pieces used as display areas- in the store.

Everything you can see and touch in store is actually for sale, from the light fixtures to the framed artwork on the walls to the tables used to display stock. Anthem is one of the very few stores to implement the selling of fixtures and display units as well as clothes and accessories to their customers. A great benefit of this is the fact you can constantly evolve the look and feel of the store, keeping it interesting and fresh for new and existing customers, with ease.

Anthem is the go-to destination for unique, designer pieces from a variety of known and unique designers. They have given, and welcomed, brands that the British public may not have ever discovered a chance to be seen and experienced by people outside of their usual geographic.

Visit Anthem at 10 -12 Calvert Avenue, Shoreditch, E2 7JN.

Download the Shoparazzi app on iTunes

Follow us on Twitter for the latest app updates as well as sale updates: @Shoparazzi_UK

Like us on Facebook

Find out more information: www.shoparazzi.com

A 3 day sample sale from Bolongaro Trevor at their Hoxton Studios! Everything is £20 or under, check it out if you are around the Hoxton area, it is only going on for another 2 days! Don’t miss it, details on the flyer above!

Download the Shoparazzi app on iTunes

Follow us on Twitter for the latest app updates as well as sale updates: @Shoparazzi_UK

Like us on Facebook

Find out more information: www.shoparazzi.com