The Rise and Fall of TopShop 

I worked for both Topman and ASOS. I worked for Topman’s personal shopping so Phillip Green would use our lounge a lot when he visited us in the Oxford street store (we called 214) and he was one of the most disgusting, vile and rudest people I’ve ever had the displeasure of being around. The women I worked with would hate being around him as he would always comment on their appearance. I then moved to be a stylist / personal shopper for ASOS and myself and the other stylists had a meeting with the then CEO Nick Beighton (now MatchesFashion). He was so polite, humble and we had a good chat about how one day he wanted Topman / topshop on ASOS. It’s horrible to say but there was something satisfying about watching Arcadia’s downfall, knowing the man Phillip Green is.

I was a teenager in the 2000s, and I looooved Topshop. I remember as I got older, going in and seeing less and less items that I liked/ suited me. It was then that I realised I was ‘getting old’ and had aged out of Topshop. Maaaan that hurt to realise 😂😂

TopShop rose with the whole anglomania-indie sleaze wave in 2000-2010, on the back of Christophers Bailey Burberry. It all sank altogether.

When TopShop opened in Vancouver (2012), everyone around me went crazy for it. If you walked down the street you could spot a TopShop shopping bag in every direction. What an era - Jeffrey Campbell 'Lita' boots, TopShop fits and cake pops.

This made me a little emotional, I used to love spending hours in Topshop on Oxford St as a teen whenever I’d go to London. All the small boutique brands, the cafe in the basement, the cosmetics brands that were new to the UK or up and coming, it was always such an experience.

People forget that Jaded Ldn started as concession in Topshop, alongside Ragged Priest.

I was so obsessed with Kate Moss when I was a teenager. I adored Topshop at the time.

I remember going to the London store when I was about 15- I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Fast forward a few years, and when I got my first pay check, I bought a two piece suit from Topshop, which I still own and wear today. I was so sad when they went under and I still miss the shopping experience of their stores.

I legitimately get excited when I see one of your videos pop up in my subscription feed.

I still have one of the trending TopShop "it" dresses, which I bought because of Beyonce. That dress is awesome to this day and still on trend, such good quality too. Can TopShop return? I say yes, with cool collaborations, strong website, limited brick & mortar stores and a dramatic rebranding with a clear narrative.

i was obsessed with topshop in 2014 when i was also obsessed with american apparel. i was 14 and constantly on tumblr lol. i saved the shopping bags and i still have my american apparel shopping bag

Your simple, clear black on white editorial style and including the dates/ extra info (like which collection on the runway etc) in the bottom left is so easily readable and everything ties togtethr very wel. I peronsally rememebr Topshop/Topman being an absolute giant of the fashion industry in early 2010's. Good video.

I still only exclusively wear topshop jeans. I get them on Vinted. I will never give up on them. Hooked for life!

I remember moving to London from Sydney in my early 20s. Topshop/Topman was revelation. Australian high street fashion was all beige/white/blue, the "Country Road" aesthetic. Realising that my darker skin was better suited to brighter colours - and Topman/Topshop summer collections were so vibrant. As a skinny teen, it was amazing to find XS sizing across everything - you simply never found it Australian high street brands - not to mention how cheap it was compared to what you got in Australia. When Topshop/Topman arrived in Australia it was a little disappointing, I couldn't work out if they were just sending us the UK leftovers, or if I had aged out of the brand.

I worked in Topshop’s Oxford Circus store,or 214 as James said from 2008 to maybe 2010. I remember when I started you were made to feel so cool just by getting hired. I worked on the shop floor and also on the ‘information desk’ for a while. Anything I saw or heard about Green was bad and he caused a lot of stress among the managers that negatively impacted the floor staff. I’ll never forget a rude woman asking me to look after all her shopping from other stores at the info desk while she browsed. This was something we didn’t do and had been told never to do. She asked for a manager, when the manager got there she said she was PG’s cousin or something so the manager apologised and gave me a dressing down in front of her. Honestly a big change with the staff came when they introduced a uniform for us, some horrible cheap blue T-shirts that had ‘Topshop’ ironed on them, morale went down and the treatment got worse. I had some fun times in 214, it was like a student experience in the beginning but Green was always gonna tank the place

Topshop was very famously in era of late 2000's to early 2010's here in the Philippines.. every magazine was featured in every fashion section and evey luxury malls here

This was such a good video. For me going to Topshop Oxford Circus was always something I just had to do whenever I visited London. Was hella shocked when I came out of the Oxford Circus stop in Dec 2022 and was so shocked to see no Topshop! Prior to that I’d had no idea about all their issues.

Loved this, I remember getting the train to London from the Cotswolds just to spend hours in Topshop Oxford street, it was so iconic

This is so well researched i remember working at topshop during 2008-2011 and the writing was on the wall even back then. Still remember when we launched the Christopher kane collection in our store with a sales target of 2-3000 for the 1rst day. We only sold 3 pieces and the manager brought up to look after it went back down to london after 6 days. Kate moss started popular however greatly finished after a year as the store stopped opening early because no one was queuing up and alot of it went onto the sale rail. Another massive problem was that they were so expensive compared to river island and new look, a day dress (nothing fancy) was 45-55 pounds average new look was £20 cheaper.

Your videos are always top notch. So much work goes into them. Much appreciated.

I was obsessed with topshop. I live in the states but was always a fan of pop culture and fashion in the UK. I would check the site every other day for updates. We finally got a store here in Atlanta GA...and it did terribly. I think the newer generation didn't "get it" and couldn't get into the elevated fast fashion compared to forever 21 and h&m. Also I feel the quality of stylish clothing had declined by 2014+. The stuff was so much better before.

I always get happy when I receive a notification for your uploads. Thanks you, and I can't wait for the next one.

If I recall Topshop eventually reduced their clothing sizes as well, as one day I woke up, and couldn't buy anything but accessories from them.

Nicely done. I never did get around to the Topshop craze, but I’m a Gen Xer. I started transitioning from high street/mass market to quality made second hand luxury goods about twenty years ago and have never looked back.

I was an American student living in London in 2010-2011. I remember being in the Oxford Street store blew my 21 year old mind. The two collections that stuck with me the most that I still have some items from was this colorful bohemian one and a western cowgirl one. As the later years went on I noticed how the clothes just seemed cheaper and didn't have a real 'wow' factor to it anymore. Then one day the website was non-existent and I was confused when it simply became a search on Asos.

Another very informative video-as always. I remember when TopShop 1st opened in NYC. It was crazy. Same thing with H and M. Btw- your Vivienne Westwood was great. Nothing to be embarrassed about.

The topshop Oxford street shop was my heaven as a teenager it was an amazing experience and it’s yet to be replicated it’s a shame because the uk high street definitely needs something better than what we have right now

Could you cover American apparel? I have a feeling their story is crazy and if you could do a special on brands that were founded by rappers and why they aren’t around anymore. Thanks. Lol.

I worked at Arcadia head office. It was such a toxic workplace that filtered down from Philip Green's number 1 and 2

I worked for one of the bigger Topshop stores in London 2019-20 as a stylist, in it's dying years, I guess. For me, my time at Topshop was wonderful, we had a really great team and it really felt like they encouraged your creativity. If not for covid, I would probably still be working there :( But it's bittersweet how it ended. We were always told even when we went into administration that there was nothing to worry about and I truly didn't think that a brand like this could just completely disappear off the high street. Fast forward a few months into the second lockdown and I find out we're all out of a job through twitter 🤕 I would love to see it come back one day, maybe under better managements with a better vision.

The notification I was waiting for!! 😊

Im from Singapore and Topshop was booming when I was a student in the early 2010s. Despite its more expensive price tag, the quality of their items were impeccable. I still have a playsuit i bought from them in 2013 which still looks timeless, have a thick fabric, great tailoring and holding up after multiple washes. I visited them again in 2018-2019 and its just a bunch of overpriced fast fashion pieces with the topshop label sewn onto them. Was genuinely disappointed to see the fall of a really good brand!

topshop was such an aspiration to me as a young overweight working class teenager. I remember thinking it was so cool and for the beautiful, stylish and "perfect" girls. Girls who were confident etc. I would go in with my crappy weekend job pay check as a 16 years old and come out with a piece of jewellery because non of the clothes fit me or if they did, didn't looked good on me lol. Ahh memories.

i love all ur videos so detailed i enjoy listening and waiting for a notif from u

Topshop was my shop. I was 18 in 2012 and had been shopping in there since I was 11. I was devestated when it closed 😢 have never found a shop that fills that gap for me completely.

if ASOS is smart, they can resurrect Topshop right now and capitalize on the resurgence of the Y2K aesthetic

Another great epsisode! I always look forward to your uploads!! :)

Fantastic video essay. Please keep it up ❤

I've just done a brand report on Fred Perry for uni not knowing much about it before researching but it was very interesting. I'd love to see your version of it ! also would love to see a video on Jaded London as I feel like they have become the British Topshop of this time

Growing up, Topshop was an aspirational store for me, great stuff, but everything was too expensive imo, £22 for a printed T-shirt I remember. However, their sales were the best. Got accessories for £1, boots £5 and jeans for £5. Wish their regular prices were like that!

Mama Understitch/skin coming through with the firsthand insight! This is such a fascinating video, I enjoyed it so much ❤

A truly fascinating piece. Loved it 🥰

Found this soooo interesting! I was a 13 year old “girl” (at the time) in 2011, so right at the bottom of Topshop’s usual demographic at that time. But I never set foot in there. Around me all the trendy stuff was elsewhere and Topshop was seen more as “adult” fashion. I genuinely had no idea about Topshop’s teen focus until this video, which I think speaks to how they failed to capture people like me at that time. Despite this it does still feel strange to see a high street without it. Great video!

your mom seems really cool. reading her messages made me like her quite a bit. xx

I worked in Topshop in Dublin from 2019 until the stores closed down in 2021. I still have several pairs of the Jamie jeans and they have not lost their quality at all. I met Phillip Greene (the Greene monster as he was known in the two stores I worked in) and his attitude was abysmal. He was so rude to several of my female colleagues and I saw how my mangers walked on egg shells around him. It was so weird. He made a big fuss about the u.s dollar and Uk pounds prices still being on the price tags and we had to explain to him that we couldn’t remove them as the euros was the very last tab on the pricing tag. He didn’t even try to understand in the why his opinion was incorrect or the fact that we had many international customers so it helped them with conversion rates when deciding to buy the items. I got The news the the physical stores were closing down from Twitter, our managers hadn’t even been informed.

Ahhh Mann, when topshop aka topman came to NY around 2011, that was my go to for clothes next to Zara. I got so sad when they closed down

Ughhhh thank you for this video. What a tragic fall! Super interesting

2014, I think I would have been 11, I went shopping with my money gifted to me from Christmas. I went into Topshop because all the cool girls went there from school, and I got a scarf from the Miss Selfridge section. I remember my Uncle telling me it’s a really fancy brand which made sense because the scarf was £26 which was a lot to me back then and I guess still is for a scarf. I still have the scarf, and with the 2014 revival I think plaid scarfs will definitely come back in. I remember seeing a lot in the autumn . Great video 😊

Great video! I always wondered why TopShop declined in popularity.

I remember the cooler kids buying from Topshop, but I just never felt like I fit in with the brand. I think I bought a top and a dress from there once, but always felt like a fraud wearing them. Whenever I went in, I always struggled to find my size, and if it was in my size then the proportions were so wrong, it was unwearable. Topshop and New Look always made me feel bad about my body, I’d leave the store almost in tears because I just felt so ridiculous in their clothing. Their clothes were just not made for girls with bodies like mine. I didn’t realise the brand was so old. Topshop wasn’t for me, but I do feel a bit sad that so many old brands have just collapsed.

It’d be nice to listen to your rise/fall series as a podcast!

I LIVED in topshop mom jeans from their first days available right up until a year ago (quality so bad since asos took the brand). I used to shop in Manchester Topshop for everything, and back then there would be so many items I wanted, all in one place, every time! Those mom jeans remain the best jeans I ever owned. I also used to buy Ragged Priest from there, and still buy from them to this day!

great video! do you consider starting a podcast series? that'll be awesome i'm sure.

Great video! ⭐️

I’m so happy you mentioned Red Or Dead. I haven’t been able to find anything about them in years and was starting to think I made the whole thing up. I remember reading about them in all the magazines. Had no idea they were are part of the Top Shop journey.

Oh, that one is gonna be interesting! As a Pole, I remember TopShop being extremely popular among my richer friends in Warsaw when I was in high school 2009 - 2012.

I only found out about top shop from going to London from America in the 2010s. I liked the clothes more than Zara back then. But once the clothes actually came to America I didn’t have as much interest. I could get cheaper similar clothes online and like you stated that just blind sided them. Also I love using you using your mom as a source. Can’t wait to see the one on top man.

New to your channel. I've enjoyed it. Could you do a video on Header Ackerman, Yoji Yamamoto, Azzedine Alia. Thanks

After going to topshop on trips to the UK i used to order online because they dont have topshop in my country and even found some items for my mom! We both loved it (2015-2019ish) and now its all in shambles😭 i always looked forward to moving to the UK one day and being able to shop there more and now i am not even there yet and its already gone.... so sad :( i did find it kinda expensive regardless but many pieces i have are still some of my fav items

Growing up in Tokyo in the 80s I saw the rise of Muji and then Uniqlo. They have their problems but Top Shop was just so ugly compared them...

I remember when topshop first opened in nyc. The clothing I wasn’t that impressed by; it looked like better made H&M and I remember the prices being way more expensive than H&M. What I absolutely LOVED about Topshop was how dope the shoes were. They looked so cool!

I found my grandmother 's topshop top and its a better quality than all my clothes

Hi!!! I love your videos! Could you talk about the rise and fall of BLUMARINE in your next episode?

I was a fashion student in the 80s so shocked top shop folded iv worked with clothes all my life making costumes for films and west end I even had an interview with Westwood who is my heroine love your site xxxx

awwww.. i still have a few Top Shop items in my closets. xx

Since 2006 i am a kid who loves fashion i love watching ftv and reading fashion magazines. I was obsessively shopping at Topman like every SA in my location mall at TopShop/TopMan knew me like i used to go there every weekend. Loved seeing Kate Moss for Topshop collaboration very effortlesssly chic. Lily Cole in TopShop Ad campaign was hit of British Fashion back then..

I don't know about being significant in 2010. I was a student in the late 80's and every Saturday everyone would be in Topshop. They were also on TV being mentioned on the Fashion Show. If you want 80s fashion you think Topshop.

I always to dream about being able to afford Topshop when I was younger. I found the clothes very edgy-chic and ahead of the trends. It's a shame what happened to the brand but not all good things last forever. I did buy a Topshop trench from Asos a year or so ago and it's really good quality. Now that I'm in my 30s however, I prefer brands like COS.

The only time I’ve ever been inside a Top Shop was to look for Ivy Park items and I never found any in store. 😅

I was a fashion savvy teenager in the 2000s living in Italy, never heard of topshop until my school trip to London. Years later I enrolled into a marketing uni course in the UK and teachers were pushing Topshop as an amazing example of global success. I was perplex as it really felt outdated and not relevant. A few moths later the scandal came out and shops started closing. Awkwardddd

i discovered topshop a few years ago. and two years after it became asos. both are ver exclusive when it comes to fast fashion. i just love it

Topshop was a culture in ans of itaelf. I was a teen at the peak of the indie-sleaze time and topshop fashion was idolised. Us teenagers used to go in just to see what the staff were wearing and they were seen as the cool "kids". It makes me so nostalgic to think about it now! I know it sounds a bit sad haha but we were only kids/teenagers.

Your content is sooo good

I was a teen in the 90s and Topshop was such a core place to shop. I remember their jeans being great because of their sizing. I still have a jumper I bought in a Topshop about 20 years ago though it is falling apart. It suddenly seemed to get less good at some point in the late 2000s. Probably a mix of me growing out of that style and a change in the kind of products they sold. I started buying a lot from Dorothy Perkins after that but they also declined. I would love to see their Denim back in a range similar to 20-30 years ago. I think it would be popular.

I always have conflicting feelings about Topshop because on the one hand, as a teenager of the 2000s, it is Iconic with a capital I. Losing it was the fashion equivalent of losing Woolies. On the other hand, as a fat (by 2000s standards) and poor teenager, I never felt the democratisation of fashion they were supposedly offering. I just felt excluded because even if I could find something in the sales, it was never going to fit me comfortably.

Is this a new channel! I always watched your videos and was subscribed but I just saw that I had to resubscribe again, am confused

PhenomenON! Phenomena is the plural. I tried to let it go but then you did it twice in ten seconds and I nearly threw my laptop

This was really interesting, I remember Topshop/Topman entering the US market and it seemed to be everywhere. Then it was gone. On a related note, and I know it’s a deep cut, would you consider a rise and fall of Biba?

I still own some Topshop and Topman pieces in perfect condition, and I would treat them with the same reverence as i would treat my vintage Benetton duffle bags collection, some Resurrection findings, and new acquisitions from Vetements, GR, Vans and Balenciaga.

I miss top shop underwear! I loved the fun cartoon collaboration. There really isn’t anything like it now

I have enjoyed this video and now i am a fan...

I used to shop at the NY store on Fifth Avenue, then it quickly went away. I’ve only lived here about 8 years, now everything has changed anyway… but I miss Top Shop!

I bought a military style, sage green, wool winter coat at Topshop in c2000 approx £100. Still wearing it today. Its one of my best ever buys.

omg in late 2000s early 2010s i wanted to buy stuffs in topshop so bad. i was a preteen tho and the selections were too expensive for a fast fashion

As someone on the upper end of their demographic these days, maybe I'm not a great judge - but I agree that I cannot see TopShop returning any time soon. You are right that it's very strongly associated with 2010s, and fast fashion. Where many fast fashion brands tend to lean into greenwashing these days, TopShop will have been dormant, and will still have a reputation for a horrible environmental impact. Or maybe that is the answer, to rebrand to a sustainable and ethical company? Not that this is possible at such a price point. Brilliant video :)

In Australia, although there was a Topshop store in a Melbourne shopping centre, it wasn't really a prominent store in the CBD, unlike Zara...I never really got into any of the 'high street' chain-store brands...Would always wait for the annual iconic warehouse outlet sales of Sass and Bide and Zimmermann...

so interesting!! great video ^^ I'm just young enough to have been a teenager after the brand's hay day had already passed, so all I knew of this brand until now is that it used to be a big thing haha

I miss topshop :( i always say it’s the highstreet shop I miss the most. Was surprised to see it shut

Please do etam/tammy!!

In the nineties as a teenager going to Oxford Circus shopping 🛍️ I could only dream of purchasing TopShop clothing. Over the years when I could afford to buy clothes and accessories I remember the scenery, the design of the store, DJ playing music, escalators to the basement, glitz glamour and sparkling ✨ lights

I loved this company when I was student when was in my twenties with a young family I could still be trendy and be myself. I was shocked when I heard what had happened as I moved to Japan by then and then my style had changed. I always Philip green was shady and yet he got away with it. It’s funny that ASOS now owns the name.

My other half worked for the Arcadia group back in 2003 - 2005! The iceberg was well and truely on the horizon even back then!

Please do maison margiela!!!

I still can’t wrap my head around how Next is still in biz. They are just very low MSQ garments for 30+ demo

I was very excited when TopMan opened here in Sydney but rapidly lost that excitement when I saw the merchandise assortment. They never really worked out the seasonal difference between north and south hemispheres, so the clothes always felt a little out of season. The range also seemed a little boring, like we were getting the lines that didn't sell well in the northern hemisphere. They didn't feel well suited to the Aussie lifestyle, and as time went on, and the store appeared to struggle, just got worse and worse.

The way I hassled my mother every weekend to go to the gigantic Topshop store in Chicago 😅

My fave pair of jeans is from Topshop, back in the late 2000s

I’m gen z (just turned 20) and I’d love topshop to come back I remember shopping in there with my mum and the Joni jeans were amazing and I still buy from them from asos there’s a gap still in Liverpool where topshop used to be and I’m holding on hope it’ll be back eventually 🥰

do videos on other fast fashion brands like uniqlo gap forever21 zara etc

I had a green butterfly top from Topshop. I wonder if i still have it, but i might have given it away a long time ago