| > | | | | Lipsy, Orion, and Jovonna. |
| London is a great place to find unique boutique | | | | If you are truly looking for London independent |
| clothes, but it is not the simplest thing to do. Find | | | | designer clothing, then the Laden Showroom on |
| out the best and easiest places to find United | | | | Brick Lane, closest to the Aldgate East Tube |
| Kingdom brands and designer clothing without | | | | Station, should be your main destination. The |
| aimlessly wondering the streets of London all day. | | | | Laden Showroom was opened in 1999 by siblings |
| In 2007, I landed in London’s Heathrow | | | | Adele and Barry Laden. According to their |
| International Airport ready to begin a one year | | | | website, celebrity shoppers include Victoria |
| Masters in Finance program at London Business | | | | Beckham, Lisa Tarbuck, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. |
| School. I only had two preconceived goals before | | | | They carry over 55 independent UK designers, |
| arriving. First, I needed to earn my degree | | | | each with their own little section. Without a doubt, |
| because tossing away over $100k in student | | | | if you are looking for truly unique and designer |
| loans would have been dreadful. Second, I wanted | | | | clothing, then Laden Showroom is your one stop |
| to have fun. In all honesty, I would say that | | | | shop. |
| earning my degree was my second priority. | | | | Finally, exploring the open markets during the |
| I never imagined that I would open an online | | | | weekend is a more hectic and exciting way of |
| clothing boutique, Darling, with my classmate and | | | | finding boutique clothing. There are a handful of |
| now girlfriend. We called it our final project, | | | | markets throughout London that I have not |
| but in reality we were pursuing our personal | | | | visited, but the two that I know of that you will |
| dreams. Being finance students, we did not have | | | | be able to find independent designers showcasing |
| any experience starting and operating an apparel | | | | their work is Portabello, near the Notting Hill Tube |
| store. So, we researched as much as we could. | | | | Station, and Sunday UpMarket, near Aldgate Tube |
| One aspect of our research was sourcing | | | | Station. Also close by is Spitafield, as well as the |
| boutique clothing. | | | | Laden Showroom on Brick Lane. |
| I do not claim to be an insider when it | | | | There are tons of clothes at the markets, but |
| comes to shopping in London, but I know enough | | | | you have to remember that not all of them are |
| to find uniquely London boutique clothes without | | | | not really boutique or designer clothing. This is |
| aimlessly wandering the streets, which still is not a | | | | especially true for Camden, which is still fun to |
| bad idea when you really want to learn about the | | | | visit. Probably 90 percent of the clothes stalls |
| city. | | | | carry inventory from the wholesale district of |
| Probably the most accessible and convenient place | | | | Commercial Road in London where they |
| to find boutique clothing is Topshop Oxford | | | | essentially just sell cheap knock-offs of original |
| Street, which is right in front of the Tube Station. | | | | designs. For the bargain shopper, this is great, but |
| Topshop is a British clothing store chain and its | | | | for the boutique and designer shopper, it is not |
| Oxford Street location is said to the the | | | | what you want. |
| world’s largest fashion store, which also | | | | The only way to truly tell if the stall is carrying |
| serves as its flagship store. Topshop Oxford | | | | designer clothing is simply by asking the stall |
| Street is very overwhelming, but if you focus on | | | | owner. The stall owners are usually the designers |
| the lowest floor - the basement - you will find the | | | | and will be more than happy to let you know. |
| concession brands. Concession brands are not | | | | After a while, you can just tell which stalls are |
| owned by Topshop, but rather a collection of | | | | carrying really unique pieces and which ones are |
| United Kingdom brands and independent designers | | | | carrying commercial road goods. These |
| that Topshop finds special. It is no secret, but | | | | stalls are not easy to find, but of course there is |
| Darling carried a handful of the same brands, such | | | | self reward of getting unique almost one of a kind |
| as TFNC and Darimeya. Other brands also include | | | | fashion. |