A Retail Revolution: Is Selfridges Succeeding in Changing the Way We Shop?

By Fiona Carter

Retail shopping is experiencing its most dramatic change for many generations. Aside from the tragedy of Covid-19, there is a new narrative that’s moving away from consumerism and looking at new options for shopping. The familiar vocabulary of ‘new’, ‘latest’ and ‘must-have’ is being replaced by ‘sustainable’, ‘re-use’ ‘recycle’ and ‘restore’.

Selfridges has long been heralded as the go-to destination for consumerism, innovation and experience. It is an award winning retailer promoting, saving our planet, diversity and equality. When you go there today you can be entertained all day— skate boarding in their custom built skate bowl, get your hair make-up, brows and nails done or have their in-house beauty concierge recommend you new products. Along with buying your latest design conscious fashion or dining out in the Brasserie of Light under Damien Hurst’s giant flying Pegasus. Capped off by being entertained seeing the latest blockbuster in their recently re-opened cinema. This is their vision and how they like it that everyone is: surprised, amazed and amused.

Project Earth is Selfridges’ latest sustainability campaign with the “Let’s change the way we shop” slogan emblazoned on the recently developed Duke Street corner of the store, is looking at engaging their customers in a whole new array of shopping experiences. Hurr rental fashion, preloved designer goods by Vestiare Collective and Restory are all now well embedded into the business in a bid for a more circular and less wasteful fashionable shopping experience.

So when Selfridges teamed up with Oxfam charity and installed a pop-up to run in line with #secondhandseptember, with larger-than-life images of Michaela Coel (of BBC award winning drama I May Destroy You fame), located in prime position alongside the most prestigious luxury fashion brands of Gucci, Dior and Chanel, it was an audacious, impudent move. 

Curated by celebrity stylist and the queen of thrift herself Bay Garnett, Selfridges x Oxfam sat proudly with all the style and glamour you would expect on 2nd floor designer womenswear. Bay’s shrewd eye can spot a treasure at 100 paces. Former designers to her majesty the Queen like Hardy Amies and high end High Street brands, Jaegar hung elegantly on the rails together with lovingly handmade pieces of dressmaking with charming details as weights in the hems so that an unexpected gust of wind didn’t make your skirt fly up inappropriately flashing your knickers.

Selfridges x Oxfam gave a joyful meadow of wild flowers in our post lockdown retail gloom: Jewellery from as little as £2.00 to a vintage Ossie Clark crepe dress at the top end for £600 (and still it was a bargain).

Shoppers who stumbled on it were delighted by the idea and loved it. One customer asked how much goes to Oxfam and when I answered “All of it” she added and an extra £5.00 to her purchase. The interest was enthusiastic and genuine. Many came back several times because everything was a one off they could come back every day and see new things. Some came back and were disappointed the piece they wanted had been already sold. Emphasising that you cannot hesitate when it comes to charity shopping, and that’s what makes it exciting.

As the nominated Selfridges representative supporting the Oxfam team, it was chance to get out of my ubiquitous black and instead wear clothes from my own wardrobe with their own story. I started with the Hermes dress my late mother wore at my wedding in 1984. This was followed by my dear late brother’s original Wrangler jacket from 1972, amongst others, and finishing with a Jaegar velvet jacket my parents bought for me in 1979.

Exclusives are a useful tool for retail to encourage footfall in store and Selfridges takes full advantage of this.  Rather than having exclusive T-shirts manufactured and printed, Selfridges bought all the waste and surplus T-shirts that had been donated to Oxfam. In collaboration with artist Fergus Purcell they created unique reiterations that provided the desired exclusivity and boosted sales for the charity.

These T-shirts were all worn to identify the Oxfam volunteers and paid managers of the Festival shops, Fran and Ben who worked in the pop-up. The volunteers really gave a genuine Oxfam experience and not just a glossed over rebranding for a fancy department store. For me personally, it was a real pleasure working with these remarkable people. All of them were so different and interesting from young students, actors, to Mia an Italian, married to a chemist who invented a well known cleaning product that she used to transform a grubby Hermes scarf into a pristine, prized luxury item.

To keep up with constant donations, local Oxfam shops move stock that has been on the shop floor for over six weeks to their vast warehouse, Wastesaver in Batley, West Yorkshire. As a local initiative, fashion students are invited to customise and refashion garments, personalising them with their own logo and instagram handle on the garment label. It provides an important opportunity for young designers to develop their skill and creativity. And these pieces too, were a valued feature of the pop-up.

All sales targets were smashed. And, observing the customer base, it was truly diverse in age, size, ethnicity and social class, including a more unlikely customer like the current Miss London turning up with crown and sash to buy into second hand. It is a real indication how much things have changed.

Oxfam is credible and now mainstream fitting with many whose values are striving to change shopping habits and not buy cheap high street. Selfridges can rightly commend itself for the success of this Selfridges x Oxfam pop-up.