Hit or Miss Report: Bullring, Birmingham

HIGH STREET

HITor MISS BULLRING, BIRMINGHAM

Natalie Evans 9790784

FASHION CULTURE & CREATIVITY

BULLRING, BIRMINGHAM

IMAGES AND ILLUSTRATION BY NATALIE EVANS

HIGH STREET

HITor MISS 19 30

16 30

ALL SAINTS RIVER ISLAND

DISTRESSED BLUE DENIM BOILERSUIT

BLACK EMBELLISHED DENIM BOILERSUIT

PRODUCT 7

6

Another good quality product from All Saints, constructed well from on-trend washed blue denim. The brand does not disappoint as usual, with it putting a luxury spin on seasonal necessities. The carefully distressed denim and weighty material allude to the care that has gone into its making, along with the other unique items in the collection. These garments are grouped around the store into muted colour palettes, including cornflower blues, lilacs and creams. It is located alongside silk blouses and lightweight knits, which contrasted nicely with the boilersuit’s more distressed finish.

River Island has a vast array of products for Autumn/ Winter 2019. This boiler is fairly on trend with its militarystyle embellishment and use of denim fabric, which is very fashionable when layered for this coming season. Similarly, the autumnal colours of reds, golds, browns and blacks are very effective and the design is of a comfortable cut out of breathable fabric, thus reflective of the store’s youthful consumer. The fabric is particularly light and thin denim and the seaming and detailing is not of very high quality. This boiler was located alongside other blue and khaki denim suits, as well as add-on products to match i.e. casual vests and graphic sweatshirts with neon detailing.

VALUE 5

EXPERIENCE

7

The boilersuit’s price point is £128, however the quality of the denim differs very little to that found in other, lower-priced retailers such as Topshop and Fat Face. Other All Saints boilers are marketed at the same price, and all are the same style, available in a variety of denim washed colours. On this Bullring visit, there was a 1-day-only student discount offer of 15%. It is arguable the brand tailors its products to a more affluent, professional and older generation, which may validate its higher price points. All Saints’ inflated prices may also explain the low footfall in the store.

Friendly faces greet the customers as soon as they enter the store. These sales advisors are incredibly helpful, amicable and knowledgeable when it comes to instore and online stock, and seemed happy to provide customers with information. The store layout is like many All Saints; minimalistic, spacious and each product is permitted room to breathe and shine. Unlike many high street fast-fashion stores, the shop did not feel crammed with items. However, the lighting is very poor for judging the quality and appearance of the products on the shop floor, as well as in the fitting room. This is perhaps part of the store’s aesthetic which is contrastingly quite effective in terms of its vintage, distressed atmosphere which suits the style of clothes well. The window displays could be optimised to show key trends better.

PRODUCT

4

VALUE

Boilersuits are some of the higher priced products in River Island, with this embellished example coming in at £70. This is very high considering the low quality of the material, seams and embellishment stitching. There were no further discounts on offer (i.e. student discount) and the value was overall quite unfounded, especially considering River Island’s consumer is predominantly unemployed students. Other boilers at the store were priced between £40 and £65. The add-on products, such as the vests and plain tees to wear with the boiler, were more reasonably priced.

6

EXPERIENCE

Like most River Island stores - it is very bright, airy and features bursts of bold colours in the instore imagery, decoration and products. The shop gives off the sensation of being relatively spacious, despite the large volume of products on offer. There is very effective instore signage and a clear layout (with designated denim areas and products grouped into style and season throughout). The fitting rooms are light and largely sized, however staff do not offer any assistance and thus the store relies solely on its elaborate front displays to entice customers, rather than friendly staff faces.

BULLRING, BIRMINGHAM IMAGES AND ILLUSTRATION BY NATALIE EVANS

HIGH STREET

HITor MISS 22 30

TOPSHOP WHISTLES

WASHED BLACK DENIM BOILERSUIT

BOILERSUIT WITH WHITE BRUSHSTROKE PRINT

17 30 7

PRODUCT 8

Whistles this season offers very on-trend vintage prints on nice quality fabrics. This product in particular reflects well the resurgence of 80’s printed boilersuits. This product scores highly in terms of its versatility; it can be worn as a casual piece with trainers and for dressier occasions with heels, because of its quality material. Whistles’ garments are organised carefully into groups of alternating colours, however this is not very effective as they are not grouped into trends and so the products varied greatly in terms of style and function.

Topshop’s boilersuits are very on-trend and wearable for this season.

This example is particular is trendy with its washed denim look and oversized, 80s-inspired cut. The distressed zipper detail correlates nicely with the boilersuit’s acid wash. The youthful and comfortable fit suits Topshop’s young/student consumer very well. The denim fabric is of very good weighty quality and the seaming, stitching and edging details are done to excellent quality also. In the store, the garments were grouped into trends - this one in particular was located alongside other 80’s products, such as acid wash denims, puffball sleeves, graphic shirts and animal prints. The Topshop IDOL Collection offers a true reflection of 2019 trends: a juxtaposition between hard 80’s rock and roll trends and soft floral prints.

VALUE

EXPERIENCE 7

6 7

The price for this boiler is £65, which is fair considering the good quality of the product’s finish. Nonetheless, the long-term quality of the item could be disputed, considering Topshop’s controversy over the denim dyes lasting after washing. Topshop currently has a higher student discount event of 25%, however the price is still quite high for the retailer’s young audience to afford. The IDOL Pre-Fall Collection is more pricey than usual Topshop costs, with other boilersuits costing between £40 and £59.

Once in the store for an extended period of time, staff do eventually offer their help. Despite their slow introduction, they are very knowledgeable of the products instore and work efficiently at finding out information regarding their products. The store itself is light, bright and airy, despite the vast amount of products on sale, which were well divided and signposted. Instore customer activities i.e. photo-booths and soft sitting areas add a sense of personality to the store and proved attractive to the younger Topshop audience. The store is always a busy place and is most popular amongst Bullring-visitors. The fitting rooms are bright, large and well organised. Youthful music anthems play, encouraging customers into the store, and adding a contemporary feel to their 80’s-inspired IDOL Collection.

PRODUCT

VALUE

Whistles has a more affluent, older consumer, which may explain this boilersuit’s higher price point at £149. The fabric is of good quality and there is a very high end finish in terms of edging and seaming. However, in comparison, the suit lacked any further details or pockets. Despite the fabric being of seemingly good quality, it is lightweight and thin in comparison to those used other high street stores. Other boilers from the store value between £89 (in the sale) and £329 (for a silk boilersuit). Whistles also offers no further discounts in store i.e. student discount.

4 EXPERIENCE There is instantly an unamicable atmosphere in this Bullring Selfridges stand. Staff offers no help - or eye contact - as customers view the products for sale, despite Whistles having one of the largest stands on the floor. Its layout is confusing and fairly cluttered, despite it not being particularly busy. Visual merchandising is poor and not used to full potential and clothes are not grouped into trends or functions. The fitting rooms are also a walk away from the stand which seems unorganised and there is no definitive A area to show key pieces for the season. Nonetheless, the alternating monochromatic looks against brighter, bolder coloured pieces is effective and eye-catching and the patterns seem to compliment each other quite well.

Culture & Creativity 1001AAD

High Street Hit or Miss Research Natalie Evans 9790784