Shop
ATIKA
Atika’s flagship store in Spitalfields is an expansive 6000 sq ft, five-room, two-floor space full of vintage. There’s truly no shortage of items to explore, with over 20,000 pieces of sustainable vintage and upcycled clothing spanning from the 1940s and beyond. And it’s not just clothing, there are also lifestyle and homeware items, art pieces, books and magazines available – and even antique furniture.
Founded by a group of mates, Dunno. Curated is an independent, unisex clothing shop in Soho. The team handpick their selection of vintage from global wholesalers and independent curators, as well as their range of handcrafted or upcycled workwear and streetwear and rare trainers. Plus, you’ll find a curated range of desirable designers and brands in-store, including Levi’s 501s, Carhartt, Dickies, Patagonia, Balenciaga, Prada, YSL, Burberry and Stone Island.
MODERNITY
Hailing from Stockholm, Modernity are masters of the collection and sale of rare and high-grade furniture, ceramics, glass, lighting and jewellery by the most renowned Nordic designers of the 20th century. Their gallery in Westbourne Grove showcases two floors worth of Nordic art and design inside a Grade II-listed Georgian mansion.
NORDIC POETRY
Nordic Poetry is a designer vintage clothing store aimed at elevating the perception of vintage with a brand purpose. The collection is curated by Atika’s founder, Ameli Lindgren, and has been acclaimed by the likes of Vogue and Highsnobiety. Plus, the interior of their location in Shoreditch is nothing short of uber-Instagrammable, with rooms painted entirely salmon pink and 60s mod vibes.
The Lab E20 is fashion studio RÆBURN’s creative hub in Stratford – a place for culture, community and experimentation. It has been designed as an experiential retail, cultural exhibition and creative work space, with a focus on positive fashion and sustainable living. Built through a partnership between RÆBURN, Get Living and FutureCity, The Lab E20 also hosts a range of workshops, documentary film screenings and a pop-up retail shop, as well as being an installation and micro-factory.
After popping up in the neighbourhood in 2019, Glossier is back in Covent Garden for good. The cult beauty brand’s permanent store is inside a townhouse that’s actually one of the oldest buildings in the area, dating back to the 17th century. As with all Glossier shops, the interiors are just as ‘gram-worthy as the products – this one features the brand’s signature pink plus herringbone wooden floors, rose marble, and ‘You Look Good’ mirrors. There’s also a Wet Bar inside where you can test out the skincare, and a Glossier conveyor belt where you can pick up your products from. All the Glossier faves from Boy Brow to Milky Jelly Cleanser are available to buy as well as GlossiWEAR merch, and an exclusive London-themed passport holder – £5 from the sales of the passport holders are being donated to Hatch, a social enterprise that supports underrepresented entrepreneurs.
Taking place in Greenwich’s Peninsula Square on the weekends, FLOW Festive Farmers Market will feature a line-up of local, creative traders offering everything from sustainable produce to takeaway food. We’re talking cured meat, fresh bread, fruit and veggies, top quality cheese and plants, as well as festive street food like turkey & cranberry arepas and turkey kati sliders at Design District’s Canteen. Kick start your Christmas and champion some of the best in the biz.
FRESHLY COSMETICS
- Monday: 11:00 AM – 7:30 PM
- Tuesday: 11:00 AM – 7:30 PM
- Wednesday: 11:00 AM – 7:30 PM
- Thursday: 11:00 AM – 7:30 PM
- Friday: 11:00 AM – 7:30 PM
- Saturday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Sunday: 12:00 – 6:00 PM
Spanish beauty brand Freshly Cosmetics, which has stores in Valencia, Barcelona and Madrid, has gone international with a flagship shop on Carnaby Street. Freshly specialises in natural, vegan, and cruelty-free products that deliver real results – their range includes skincare, makeup, haircare, and bodycare, with bestsellers like Golden Radiance Body Oil, Omega Rich Night Cream, and Blue Radiance Enzymatic Serum. The brand is also committed to sustainability; 95% of their packaging is 100% recyclable and the store has been created using sustainable and recycled materials too.
BLOMMA BEAUTY
Situated in the retail haven that is Coal Drops Yard, BLOMMA Beauty is a one-stop shop for natural beauty cosmetics. BLOMMA Beauty specialises in cruelty-free, vegan and organic beauty brands that all have a sustainable and ethical ethos. As well as shelves stacked with lotions and potions, BLOMMA also has a sample bar, offers express facials, and runs a skincare switch service to help people make conscious beauty swaps.
If you’re looking to do a spot of plastic-free shopping in Stokey, Jarr Market is the place to hit up. This zero-waste store features a large pantry of bulk, unpackaged foods including pulses, spices, pasta, rice, cereals, oils, vinegars, plant-based sweets and vegan chocolates. There are also coffee and nut grinders, oat milk and maple syrup on tap, and all sorts of toiletries and cleaning products to stock up on too. Just remember to take your own container to help cut down on plastic and packaging waste.
THE AUBIN ARMS
After a nine-year hiatus, British menswear brand Aubin is back and to celebrate they’ve transformed an iconic pub just around the corner from the brand’s first standalone store in Carnaby into The Aubin Arms. For two weeks, the pop-up will host traditional pub games, a gourmet pie night, radio takeovers and live DJ sets, as well as a menu featuring Aubin’s takes on classic pub snacks. There’s even a FREE drink on Aubin if you make a purchase in their brand-new store just next door. Cheers. Stay tuned for the best London sample sales news coming soon.
LIBRERIA
A bookshop from the team behind co-working spaces Second Home, Libreria does things a little differently by arranging the shelves by broad themes like ‘Wanderlust’, ‘Utopia’ and ‘The City’, rather than by category to encourage discovery and help you stumble on something you may not have found otherwise. There are little nooks throughout the space where you can dive into a book and Libreria has a packed cultural calendar of events to get involved in too.
LUTYENS & RUBINSTEIN
Lutyens & Rubinstein is an independent book shop in Notting Hill run by renowned literary agents and friends Sarah (Lutyens) and Felicity (Rubinstein). Just a stone’s throw from Portobello Road, they specialise in stocking fiction, non-fiction, poetry, graphic novels, coffee-table tomes and children’s books, and everything you find on their shelves has its place because somebody loves it and has recommended it. Expect the best of the best.
NEW BEACON BOOKS
New Beacon was the UK’s first black publisher, specialist bookshop and international book distributor founded back in 1966 by John La Rose and his partner Sarah White. These guys make poetry, literature, non-fiction, history and children’s books from Africa, Caribbean, Asia, African America, Europe and South America available to the community and this Finsbury Park bookstore has played an important role in the Caribbean Artists Movement as well as in Black British culture in general.
PAGES OF HACKNEY
Pages of Hackney is an award-winning independent bookshop on the Lower Clapton Road. You’ll find a right mix of titles of their shelves, including contemporary and classic fiction, as well as children’s books, politics, environment, art, cookery and second-hand books too. If you can’t get to the actual store, you can also browse their books online and order them for collection, local delivery (by bike) and nationwide delivery.
DULWICH BOOKS
Dulwich Books have been around since 1981 and since the beginning they’ve been committed to offering a quality service to the community, including local schools and colleges. They stock a wide range of books and have access to over 650,000 titles (most of which can be collected by the end of the next day), including fiction, non-fiction, young adult and children’s books. Their team are mega experienced and helpful so take advantage of their recommendations.
GAY'S THE WORD
Gay’s The Word is the oldest independent LGBT+ bookshop in the UK. It was set up as a community space (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners held their first meetings here during the strike of 84-85) and community events are still held in the store to this day. The shelves are packed with a range of books spanning fiction, non-fiction, classics, plays, poetry, history, graphic novels, queer studies and more.
THE SECOND SHELF
If you’re looking for feminist literature and work by women, head for The Second Shelf. The bookshop, tucked away in a quiet Soho courtyard, was set up by writer A.N. Devers after she noticed that the rare book trade was dominated by male writers and male booksellers. The Second Shelf is stocked with rare and antiquarian books, modern first editions, manuscripts and rediscovered works by women, with over 3000 titles across pretty much every subject to browse.