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LOTI’s handpicked guide to the best independent boutiques in London. From streetwear and sneakers to plant pots and lamps, these are our fave places to shop. Get that credit card ready…
A genuine fashion capital, London is home to some of the world’s most iconic department stores like Selfridges and Harrods, and the world’s most famous shopping streets, from the Chanel, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton-lined Bond Street and to the big brands (RIP big Topshop) and tourist tat shops of Oxford Street. Alongside all the recognisable names and serious designers, there are also plenty of great independent shops in London.
If clothes shopping in London is your thing, you won’t struggle to find fresh new threads. Goodhood stocks all our fave brands including Wood Wood, Vans, Aries, Nanushka, YMC and Norse Projects. Aida is a multi-concept store where you can grab a coffee and pick up some pieces from their unique edit of independent European brands. Machine-A blurs into the background on Brewer Street, but it’s a shop worth visiting because it stocks all the coolest threads including Raf Simons, Maison Margiela and A-Cold-Wall.
Homeware obsessives are extremely well catered for too, from the antique and vintage gems at AELFRED in Hackney Wick, The Old Cinema in Chiswick and Retrouvius in Kensal Rise to design-led lighting, accessories and furniture from Twenty Twenty One and contemporary products and rebooted classics from SCP Shoreditch. These are the best places to go shopping in London.
Best Independent Boutiques
LOTI’s handpicked guide to the best independent boutiques in London. From streetwear and sneakers to plant pots and lamps, these are our fave places to shop. Get that credit card ready…
A genuine fashion capital, London is home to some of the world’s most iconic department stores like Selfridges and Harrods, and the world’s most famous shopping streets, from the Chanel, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton-lined Bond Street and to the big brands (RIP big Topshop) and tourist tat shops of Oxford Street. Alongside all the recognisable names and serious designers, there are also plenty of great independent shops in London.
If clothes shopping in London is your thing, you won’t struggle to find fresh new threads. Goodhood stocks all our fave brands including Wood Wood, Vans, Aries, Nanushka, YMC and Norse Projects. Aida is a multi-concept store where you can grab a coffee and pick up some pieces from their unique edit of independent European brands. Machine-A blurs into the background on Brewer Street, but it’s a shop worth visiting because it stocks all the coolest threads including Raf Simons, Maison Margiela and A-Cold-Wall.
Homeware obsessives are extremely well catered for too, from the antique and vintage gems at AELFRED in Hackney Wick, The Old Cinema in Chiswick and Retrouvius in Kensal Rise to design-led lighting, accessories and furniture from Twenty Twenty One and contemporary products and rebooted classics from SCP Shoreditch. These are the best places to go shopping in London.
If you’re up for spending big bucks and looking for a real shopping experience, head to LN-CC. Recently re-opened after a four-year closure, the shop’s various different rooms, including their iconic, 2001: A Space Odyssey-esque tunnel, have been reimagined by designer Gary Card. And, for the first time, you’ll be able to drop by on weekends without an appointment so you can browse womenswear and menswear pieces from major fashion houses like Alexander McQueen, Chloe, Burberry, and Prada alongside up-and-coming designers, plus luxury lifestyle and homeware items.
Slow fashion menswear brand Wax London is all about making characterful clothing that doesn’t break the bank. The pieces are designed in London but draw inspo from British heritage, Indian craftsmanship and Mediterranean sensibility, as well as a love of music, sport and the outdoors. It’s a blend that results in bold patterned shirts, linen suiting, classic jeans and timeless tees. There are three stores in London – one in Spitalfields, one in Soho and the newest (and largest) in Covent Garden.
Hub is our go-to spot for new womenswear in Stoke Newington. They stock some of our favourite brands – including YMC, Wood Wood, Our Legacy, Ganni and Mads Nørgaard – so it’s hard not to splurge here, but we all deserve a treat every now and then, right?
Array stocks a curated edit of clothing, homeware and bath products – carrying brands such as La Paz, Armor Lux, Wax + Wick Workshop, Heath London, Maison Bengal and Tom Lane – as well as hand-selected vintage objects and mid to late 20th-century British pottery.
ARIES
Good news for all Aries fans – you finally shop the London label’s full collection in person at its first-ever physical store in Soho. Of course, the space looks the part, mixing concrete flooring, wooden furniture, marble accents, and a scaffold staircase, with the modular design meaning it can constantly be re-configured. Parisian coffee shop Paperboy has opened its first international outlet inside the concept store, which will also play host to exclusive collabs, installations and exhibitions. As well as all the Aries streetwear you could possibly want, including the signature Temple tees and No Problemo sweats, the store also stocks archive pieces and houses rotating pop-ups from brands like South London vintage resellers JerksTM and unisex jewellery brand Bunney. This is Aries land and we like it a lot.
Aida is a multi-concept store where you can grab a coffee and pick up some pieces from their unique edit of independent European brands. Expect to find the likes of Mads Norgaard, Libertine-Libertine, Rains and Converse amongst some lesser known brands.
Sefton bring together all the cool kids in their menswear boutique in Islington. Find everyone from Comme Des Garcons and Acne Studios to Wood Wood and Nike. They also stock their own line of Sefton essentials.
Machine-A blurs into the background on Brewer Street, but it’s a shop worth visiting. The concept store stocks all the coolest threads including Raf Simons, Gosha Rubchinskiy, Aly, Maison Margiela and A-Cold-Wall – oh, and they have Ken on the curtains of their dressing rooms, what more do you want?
You’ll rarely find anything else on our feet than trainers and that’s why we LOVE Sneakersnstuff. This place is filled with all hottest sneakers including limited edition ones – expect brands like Adidas, Reebok, Vans, Converse, Nike and more.
Couverture & The Garbstore focuses on niche independent labels, collaborations and emerging talent. Stocking menswear, womenswear and homeware, expect to find pieces from Norse Projects, Rejina Pyo, Brain Dead, YMC, Sideline, Kana, No Chemicals and more.
Originally a tailoring outfit in the 60s, Stuarts London has moved with the times and now stocks everything a guy could ever want. Think Canada Goose, Edwin, Adidas Originals, Fila, Folk and Universal Works.
If we could dress head to toe in threads from Goodhood we would – they stock all our fave brands including Wood Wood, Vans, Aries, Nanushka, YMC and Norse Projects. And once your wardrobe is full, it’s worth popping downstairs to check out their homeware selection, including Hay, Ferm Living and Cold Picnic, and pick up some Aesop goodies OBVS.
Menswear store Number Six brings together small brands and more mainstream labels to create something unique. Expect Carhartt WIP, Libertine-Libertine, Our Legacy and Sandqvist to line the shelves here.
Insidestore offers a curated but approachable selection of the best modern furniture, lighting, homeware and accessories. Everything in the shop shares a clean, simple aesthetic that’s perfect if you favour a minimalist yet playful look.
SCP is a London staple, having been open on Curtain Road since 1985, and it’s still one of the best design and lifestyle shops in town. Its two floors are packed with contemporary products from tons of different brands as well as their own designs and re-booted classics from the SCP archive, including pieces from Rachel Whiteread, Matthew Hilton and Terence Woodgate.
Labour and Wait is all about functional products and classic design. Rebelling against the idea of re-designing ranges each season, owners Rachel and Simon source homeware, clothes and accessories that are timeless, like enamel cookware, brass pens and Breton striped shirts, so you can enjoy them forever.
Set over two floors, the Upper Street store is packed full of design-led lighting, accessories and furniture. There’s a mix of classic styles from the twentieth century and more progressive pieces but everything in there is clean and elegant so it feels timeless.
Clean, modern, English design is at the heart of Kent and London. They started out making furniture and have since grown into building bespoke kitchens and stocking a tight edit of well-crafted homewares, including pieces from Nuuna and Terres de Reves.
Kensal Rise’s Verandah is a real treasure trove, stocking everything from children’s toys to candles to African laundry baskets. They pride themselves on stocking beautiful and unusual items, so if you’re in need of a present, this is the place.
With care and passion in bucket loads, design-led lifestyle store Triangle is all about bringing independent and local designers together. The brains behind the shop, Matt, Tory and Mary, all have backgrounds in different aspects of design. Going above and beyond the trio regularly visit vintage markets in Belgium and Holland and have called upon their friend, jewellery designer Karin Andreasson to create a unique collection for the store. Stocking everything from glassware and textiles to handmade jewellery and vintage furniture, each item has been handpicked, so you’ll never see the same thing twice in this place. Like a little treasure trove, you’ll leave feeling inspired and probably want to redesign your whole home.
If you’re searching for anything antique, vintage or retro, Chiswick’s The Old Cinema should definitely be on your hit-list. The former Edwardian movie theatre was transformed into antique department store in 1979 and is still going strong. With pieces from all over the world and periods ranging from early 19th century to art deco to mid-century Danish, you’re sure to find some real treasures.
Salvage, reclamation and the belief that well made objects have value is at the heart of Retrouvius. Whilst they try and keep a variety of modernist furniture and hardwood worktops in stock, the beauty of Retrouvius is that you never quite know what’s going to be in there. You might find an old pub sign, a Georgian fire grate, a glazed urinal or telephone box windows…just get in there and explore.
AELFRED
If you’re a fan of all things vintage furniture, get AELFRED on your radar. The 300-sqft space in Hackney Wick holds the city’s largest showroom for mid-century Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish furniture and home accessories. They’ve got everything from bookshelves and sofas to tableware and copper cookware, priced at as little as £15 to no more than £2500, and are constantly finding new stock to add to their carefully curated collection. Now you’ve got a new way to live out your Scandi lifestyle dreams right here in London.
A NEW TRIBE
A New Tribe brings together homeware and lifestyle items produced by independent designers and small brands from Morocco, Japan, India, the UK, the US and beyond. Every item they select to sell has been chosen because of its beauty, ethos and the care that goes into its creation. If you’ve been hunting for a rare Moroccan rug (A New Tribe’s speciality), a new and unusual scent, or you’re looking to deck out your home with unique accessories, this is the place.