How are the coolest girls in London’s fashion scene shopping these days? For Yuki Haze, Erika Bowes, Mona Bakht, Anna Brimma, and Donnika Kathleen Anderson, it’s a little bit of online bidding courtesy of eBay, some Depop scouring, and plenty of good old-fashioned thrifting. For Haze and Bowes, who are friends and the founders of Sukeban, a feminist collective, they describe their style as “Angelina Jolie in the film Hackers–meets–Sporty Spice” and “goth to girly,” respectively.
Their friends Brimma, Anderson, and Bakht all met in a very millennial fashion— Instagram, photo shoots, and through mutual friends. Bakht describes her style as “1970s French dad–meets–skater boy,” while Anderson describes her ’90s redux–meets–hip-hop mélange of a knit jacket with billowing muffs, partially buttoned white shirt with a bolero, and striped denim jeans, accessorized with ruby-tinted square sunglasses and hoops, “like English weather—unpredictable.” Brimma prefers the “tomboy” look, wearing an oversize leather jacket, black denim jeans, and a stacked rhinestone choker. But all of them like logomania: Anderson totes along a fire-engine red Playboy bunny–emblazoned top handle, while Brimma carries a Louis Vuitton monogram clutch.
Though the clique’s styles may vary, their shopping habits are relatively similar: Thrifting is the name of the game. Brimma considers Serotonin Vintage on Brick Lane “to have the coolest selection of vintage ever,” while, “Beyond Retro in Soho has great T-shirts and leather jackets.” Haze favors the markets on Portobello Road and charity shops (“they are really worth hunting through”), while for Anderson, it all comes down to online: “eBay is my life.” Bowes recommends repeat visits: “You have to search really hard and even try the same shop twice a week and you’ll find one-off gems!” As for a take-home tip for all? “Don’t pay more than £10 [$13] for one piece of clothing,” says Anderson, “and avoid Oxford Street.” We’ll take her word for it.