Starting off a seriously busy week of events and after-work activities, on Saturday it was the fashion bloggers event for our Fashion Challenge: Leeds Market vs Leeds High Street. It was a lot of fun organising the event and thanks to everyone who came as well as the astonishing Out of the Woods cafe for such a beautiful venue and fantastic grub!
We tweeted some photos of the outfits before the event to see if people could guess which was which, and while a lot of people managed to guess the high street/markets correctly, we were also pleasantly surprised as lots of people liked both outfits, or – like Laura – would mix and match different items. It definitely helped to show that Leeds Markets is a place for fashion retail, and that you can get some cool items there.
A lot of people were suprised at how much the markets outfit cost, thinking that the clothes would be incredibly cheap. As I mention briefly in the video, however, all of the retailers in Leeds Markets are small, independent, mostly family-run businesses: they can’t afford to compete with national retailers like Primark in selling incredibly cheap clothing or ‘loss leaders’. Their prices are more likely to be hitting just below the H&M price point in order for them to make a profit and continue trading, and I would say that the quality of the items we purchased was very similar to H&M as well (so, good to some extent, but not of the top notch quality you might get in more expensive outlets).
Lauren (my team mate) in our disco-heritage-Highlander markets outfit
Me in the autumnal-coloured high street outfit from Lucy and Jen
What genuinely surprised me – and several others – about the fashion options in the market was that many of them were trend-led: block colours, metallic tops, big boxy bags, platform heels and the like. I don’t do a lot of trend-led shopping but for those who do, the market provides another way to tap into trends without looking like you just bought something from the high street. A lot of people guessed the high street outfit due to the mustard corduroy shorts (Primark) which does show that certain high street items will always be recognisable.
Charming
The outfit items on display
Attendees peg their name labels to their favourite items
Lovely and festive at Out of The Woods
Several people also managed to guess which outfit came from which team due to what they saw as the signature style of the individal team members. A couple of my friends said that the gold metallic top in the markets outfit gave away that I’d chosen it (damn!) while someone else pointed out that the floppy hat in the high street outfit was very ‘Jen‘! I was surprised that our styles came across so clearly as we all agreed that we had compromised our different personal styles within the teams to create something a little bit different. Intriguing.
Despite shopping in Leeds Market for food and other bits all the time, I’d never ventured in there to buy fashion clothing before the challenge (although I do buy fashion fabrics to make clothing!). The experience of the challenge has made me reconsider this and I would go back in to purchase fashion clothing from the market, not only because shopping for the outfit showed me the range of items in there, but because buying from the market would, in some small way, help to contribute to independent retailers rather than high street nationals. The high street outfit was cute, and I did enjoy modelling it, but the pieces I liked best were from the independent and vintage stores in Leeds (the purple blouse and striped jumper). Team High Street did really well in creating something unique from shops you can find in a lot of places – but it reassured me that I wasn’t missing out too much by not shopping for large items in high street retailers!
The challenge also made me consider my individual style and how I put things together, as well as the style of the other bloggers – especially my team mate Lauren. We dress very differently and yet I felt we worked well as a team, and the same can definitely be said for Lucy and Jen. After the event, Lucy said she was interested in knowing more about charity and vintage shopping, because her ‘fashion beat’ is the high street; in many ways, I’d like to learn more about how to shop the high street without a) stressing out about price points and b) looking like a carbon copy of everyone else.
So maybe our next project is already in the pipeline: a fashion school with a series of educational events on how to make the best of different fashion retail spaces? And maybe with some education about how to create our own fashion spaces through making, customising and swapping? And talking through the visual, aesthetic, ethical and even philosophical issues surrounding these spaces?
Well, let’s have a breather first…
Finally – thanks to Leanne Buchan, the most sparkling gal ever x
Definite breather needed!
I loved this challenge. As the person who’s silly idea it was, I have to say I wasn’t 100% convinced and to be totally honest shared many people’s perceptions of fashion on the markets, unless it was from one of the London markets the likes of Portobello Road where the celebs get their cheap fashion fix. Which again to be truthful have always been a bit of a disappointment and never really lived up to the hype.
Never having done it myself I panicked a little bit that I might have set the markets up for a fall, but I really was genuinely surprised by not only the variety but also the quality of what was on offer. I remember Lauren feeling all of the jumpers and being genuinely shocked that they weren’t scratchy and cheap but soft and fluffy.
Comments like “Cable knit leggings for £10?! They’re £40 in Urban Outfitters!” still stand out really clearly for me. Although I’m not the best at shopping for clothes and don’t have much patience in any shops really, I would defintely go back to the market and spend some time having a closer look at what is on offer.
I don’t blog really so don’t have any other way of expressing my gratitude to Elly, Lauren, Lucy and Jen for giving up their time and being open minded in their approach to the positives but also the limitations of both high street and markets when it comes to fashion.
The challenge was a great way of highlighting what markets have to offer from the lady who escorted us to her other stall and spent time pointing out the trends, to the vast array of products on offer.
But then I would say that wouldn’t I?!
I would be happy to be corrected if I’m wrong and things have changed in the last few months since I’ve had a look, but I found the clothes sold at the market to be of the absolute worst quality – cheap dyes you can smell from yards away, muddy prints, shoddy construction, terrible synthetic fabrics. I assumed that in order for the stall holders to make a profit at the Primark-level price points they work with, they have to be purchasing the absolute worst quality clothing from the absolute worst factories (in terms of how workers are treated) – worse than Primark, probably, because unlike Primark, they’re not buying tens of thousands of each garment. Without the economies of scale implicit in such huge purchasing power, the cheapness has to come from somewhere else – quality of materials and the treatment of the people who construct the clothing.
I know the high street (and not just Primark) has its own problems. But as Elly pointed out in her recent (brilliant) talk at Bettakultcha, we need to get away from disposable fashion, and I can’t see how the clothing I’ve seen at the Market can be considered anything else. So I’ll continue to buy one dress at £100 that will last for at least a couple of years instead of 10 dresses at £10 that will last a couple of washings. I’ll also continue to hunt through charity shops in the hope of finding something that a) fits and b)isn’t from Primark – but, again, as Elly said in her talk, the good stuff is being sold to”vintage” shops and being sold for a premium that sends me right back to the better high street shops.
I really don’t know the answer here – I mean, I’m lucky to be able to (very occasionally) afford a dress for £100. I’ve made a conscious choice to have very few good-quality items instead of a closet full of fast fashion. Not everyone has that option, and I would be the very last to say that someone who chooses to spend £100 for a whole season instead of £100 for a single piece shouldn’t be catered to by the Market stalls (or Primark, or Peacock, or wherever). I think the outfits that both of you came up with are amazing. I was just a bit disappointed not to see any of these issues mentioned.
Thanks for commenting Katie and I think your points are very valid and insightful. I don’t normally respond to comments but I thought this was important to start this conversation. If I can take your points paragraph by paragraph:
1. I do not agree with your evaluation of the fashion at the market regarding quality, as I think the quality is the same as most low-end high street retailers (which you can interpret how you will). To clear up the issues about price points and profit: yes, Primark can purchase in bulk and take advantage of the economies of scale. However, many high street retailers (including Topshop, DP, Primark, H&M, The Gap, and M&S) purchase from non-company specific international factories which can – and do – manufacture clothing for several different fashion retailers in the UK. The difference in retail price point between eg Primark and Topshop results from the difference in relative advertising budgets, staff payments, etc, and the markup from a base level of cost from which the retailer can gain profit. Companies like Tesco will sell school clothing at a loss leader (they make no profit from it) in order to remain competitive and because they can glean extra profit from other areas of fashion retail. From the research I’ve done into fashion production, workers abroad no matter where the clothes end up, tend to get screwed over regarding health benefits, pay, ethical standards, etc due to a host of complex reasons. Essentially, what I’m trying to point out is that one retailer is no ‘worse’ than the other in their sourcing when you are dealing with very low price points, as many of the garments come from similar (if not the same) manufacturing units.
2. I completely agree with you that spending £100 on one dress that will last you a very long time and be reworn is the ultimate goal for many, and that we should be avoiding ‘fast fashion’ where possible. However, the point of this challenge was to show the breadth of garments that the market had, which it did. Personally, I would wear the garments we picked again and again and do not feel they will quickly become ‘unfashionable’; however, I appreciate your point and agree that the market does provide ‘fast fashion’ but possibly this challenge was not the arena in which to debate the ethics of this.
3. Again, I agree with your points and yes, I do think we need to address the issues you’ve talked about. I don’t think that this challenge was the right place to do it, but I think there is a way we could do this through looking at how (re)wearable ‘fashionable’ clothing is, whether we could restyle the pieces into lots of different outfits, etc. I think your point about people being catered for is key: our challenge set out to show the range of fashion available in Leeds, and we did that – maybe the next step could be to investigate the range of ethical fashion available, or even what constitutes ethical fashion itself? I’m glad you liked the outfits too.
Love the post Elly, and some great opinions in the comments too! Hope you don’t mind me stealing your photos to use in my own post…
I think Katie raises some really interesting points, but I agree with you that this challenge wasn’t the place to address those points. The purpose of the challenge was to demonstrate the fashion offerings at Leeds Market compared to the high street, and I really think we succeeded in doing that. I know I’ll be paying the market a visit, having not stepped foot in there since 2007 (!) after seeing what can be found.
I think all four of us challengers tackle the problems surrounding the fast fashion industry in our own ways. I’m a huge advocate of second hand shopping and I try to buy from charity/vintage shops wherever I can. I do love the high street, but like Katie I like to spend a little bit more to get something I know will last. Elly and Lauren I know shop in a similar way, probably with more of a focus on independent, ethical designers and DIY fashion. Lucy, even though she describes herself as a high street girl, shops at TK Maxx – well-made, designer pieces for less.
Ethical fashion is something I feel very conflicted about and like Katie, I don’t know what the answer is when it comes to addressing the issue. I think there’s definitely space for discussion and exploration there – but if that had been the premise of the challenge I don’t think I would’ve taken part.
Really interesting to hear people’s views on the challenge and the wider issues that surround it though – great way to open up the debate, Elly!
Great post my love, and yes I agree there are further issues surrounding the ethical nature of the price points and indeed fabric sources of the clothes in question. However, I feel that we effectively managed explore the variety and offering of clothing within the market itself and perhaps enlighten a few people to the fact that ‘fashionable’ looks can indeed be found.
Katie – I, like you, held a very similar view of the clothing offering in the market before this happened but due to the nature of the challenge I was forced to look a little closer and, like in all markets, if you look hard enough you will find the hidden gems. I think it’s just a completely different shopping mindset and if you’re in the zone you may be surpised at what you actually come across.
As Elly and Jen say, it’s great to have opened this debate and perhaps these other issues can be explored in due course!
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