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—GW
wholesale into direct retail, and
what better spot to open its first
shop than onMonmouth Street,
SevenDials’ most stylish artery?
Shopmanager Alex Katseph
says: ‘Wolseymade the first-ever
branded football shirts, and
today has a popular expedition
range due to its historic link to
Captain Scott, as we kitted out
his team for their adventures.’
(Scott led the British race to the
South Pole, arriving just days
behind the winning
Norwegians.) Albam, by
contrast, is a newBritish brand
that focuses on good denimand
jersey, mostlymade in Britain
with British fabrics. Themodern
lines make for a comfortable and
wearable product – classic smart
casual par excellence.
proving that independent doesn’t
have tomean elite. The shop itself
is small and quirky, and despite
international fame, prices are
quite reasonable.
A similar thing can be said for
most stores in the area. The shop
fronts are well curated and their
layouts are on a human scale,
mostly consisting of just one
roomwith select items on show.
Gilda Tryst is also a jewellery
store but with an entirely
different approach. ‘The concept
of founders Shireen Jayyusi and
AmandaWaterstone is tomake
fun costume jewellery out of
precious materials,’ says shop
manager Briana Newstead. The
class and elegance of the pieces
certainlymakes you feel like
minor royalty, and in the cellar
there is a ‘wedding room’ where
brides and their entourage can
try on their dresses with any
amount of sparkly jewellery in
total privacy.
For many foreigners, the
quintessential British stereotype
is probably still the gentleman in
his bowler hat and suit, so it’s
fitting that SevenDials has quite
a few remarkablemenswear
shops. Two recently opened
examples, AlbamandWolsey, sit
right next to each other, and the
shop staff often share lunch ‘and
themicrowave’ and help each
other out. Yet their take on
British heritage couldn’t bemore
different. Wolsey prides itself on
being possibly the oldest brand in
the UK, having been established
in 1755 andmaking knit and
sportswear ever since. But only
recently did the brandmove from
L O N D O N
Service is a big part of the
independent store experience
here. All the shop assistants are
knowledgeable about their
products andwhere they come
from, and take pride in their
brand. That they also happen to
be deadly hip, young and trendy is
probably something you’d expect
fromcentral London but
thankfully that doesn’t prevent
them frombeing super-friendly.
The pace on the streets and the
time and attention you get in the
stores puts the fun back into
shopping. This trashes internet
shopping as an experience.
Magma shop co-founders
Marc Valli andMontseOrtuno
had the shopping experience very
much inmindwhen they set
about creating a small bookshop
with a carefully selected stock.
Youmight think that Amazon has
killed the need for high-street
bookshops butMagma has now
expandedwith a gift shop on
EarlhamStreet that is the perfect
place for souvenirs. The store
philosophy is all about big
displays and original ideas.
Magma now sells designs and
products fromup-and-coming
local designers who approach
themwith their ideas. If they like
the product, theywill help to
bring it tomarket. The founders
are Brazilian and Spanish –
whichmakesMagma evenmore
of a London phenomenon, for
this is themost cosmopolitan of
cities; creatives have always been
drawn to the capital, which
supports them; they then support
later new arrivals in turn.
Of course not all storesmake
it; like everywhere else, Seven
Dials has empty spaces from
recent closures. Sometimes these
are filledwith a high-end pop-
ups, which have blossomed since
the recession. Other stores are
run independently but under the
auspices of a larger chain. Shoe
shop PosteMistress, for example,
is an offshoot of footwear giant
Office, with lines handpicked by
shopmanager Debbie Buchanan.
A favourite with style blogs, Poste
Mistress has a boudoir-chic
interior and a unique selection of
designer brands fromVivienne
Westwood toChieMihara and
Eley Kishimoto.
Whatever your reason for
visiting London this year,
discover a thriving piece of
British heritage right here at
SevenDials.
The pace on the streets and the time
and attention you get in the stores puts
the fun back into shopping. It trashes
internet shopping as an experience
Eine Halskette aus dem Angebot
des Schmuckladens Gilda Tryst
Sleek modern jewellery from
Seven Dials’ Gilda Tryst