Want To Pick Up A Designer Bargain? Shop Indie!

Nothing excites me more than browsing a fashion independent. Coming into contact with unique pieces, pre-loved vintage and off the high-street looks can really revitalise your opinions on your own style.

Small businesses have really come to the forefront of fashion. Challenging chains at their own game, independent retailers can be a great source for individual designers, old beautiful clothes and even a bargain designer piece.

My personal love for indies came from browsing my local independent retailer Grace and Ted. Cosily cornered in a beautiful two-storey Georgian building in Bath (complete with spiral staircase!), Grace and Ted is an Aladdin’s cave of beautiful one-off pieces and mouth-watering designer clothes. Owned by a Mother and Daughter team, their inspiration for opening the store came from ‘being able to be creative and really enjoy the first hand experience with our customers.’

What strikes me most about independent owners, particularly Emma Savage of Grace and Ted is her passion for the industry, ‘we love looking in Vogue, Porter and Elle magazine and seeing what the new season trends are. What’s great about fashion is that you can see what’s ‘in’ and adapt it to suit your own style’. Emma continues ‘it’s all about creativity, and you are completely free to interpret what’s on the catwalk, in magazines and in stores, in any way you like!’

Emma’s own influence for fashion comes from her love of Alexander McQueen. Speaking of McQueen, Emma explains ‘he inspired (and continues to inspire) women to be daring, confident and sexy’ he said that he “wants people to be afraid of the women I dress” and I love that sentiment! If there is one thing in this world that makes that possible to all women, it’s fashion’.

It’s an exciting sensation to enter a shop and know it’s owner is as driven by fashion, and her customer, as she is by her product.

With G&T stocking top labels like Chanel, Prada and Gucci (albeit heavily discounted!), it’s hard to see why we as shoppers ever go to chains. Particularly when the smaller businesses give you an opportunity to buy something so unique. ‘We get excited when our customers find their ‘forever pieces’ - items that might cost a little more but will be worn over and over again’ Emma tells, ‘they make you feel a million dollars! It’s these pieces that remain special for a really long time.’

Photo: Grace And Ted, Bath

Independents also provide a customer service tailored to the fashion lover as opposed to the chain reaction. As an indie shopper herself, Emma tells ‘there is nothing more exciting than discovering a shop that is owned by the person standing behind the till’. It’s the kind of attention to detail that most chains miss within their shopping experience that endear me to independents.

With the online world opening opportunities for independent sellers, and the demand for more individual fashion pieces to be available, it’s almost certain the future is indie. Independent companies are playing a huge part in the creative industries, and as Emma concludes ‘we realise that the high street would be very different without the chains, but we also realise that without the indies, city centre’s across the country would all look the same’.

Viva La Indie!