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You can forget Fifth Avenue... Oxford Street leads the world
Jonathan Prynn, Consumer Business Editor3 Sep 2010
Revitalised Oxford Street now boasts the world's greatest range of “affordable” fashion stores, according to a global poll.
Europe's busiest high street easily beat off competition from New York's Fifth Avenue, the Champs-Elysées in Paris, Milan's Via Torino and Tokyo's Omotesando.
Oxford Street won on attributes such as number of brands, affordability, “translating catwalk to shop floor”, and designer collaborations.
An extraordinary 89 per cent of the 50,000 fashion professionals polled by industry magazine Drapers said Oxford Street was best overall. The accolade comes before London's second high-street fashion week, which runs from next Monday to Friday.
A decade-long campaign to overhaul what was once seen as a tatty shopping boulevard has attracted dozens of international stores and transformed Oxford Street's tired image.
It now has 67 flagship outlets for brands such as Nike, Gap and Uniqlo, with 2.6 million shoppers a week and £6 billion a year spent. The renaissance was symbolised by the opening of the pedestrian “X-crossing” at Oxford Circus last November.
Jace Tyrrell of the New West End company, which represents traders on the strip, said: “Over the next few years Oxford Street is set to see an additional 250,000 square feet of space, making this the largest influx of retail over the past 50 years.”
Stores and fashion experts said the West End's unique mix of edginess and luxury gave Oxford Street an advantage over rivalson the Continent and North America. Jessica Price Brown, editor of Drapers, said: “For a fashion company to be taken seriously on the global stage it really must have a presence in London. Some 50 million international tourists shop Oxford Street, so it truly is a shop window to the world.”
Harriet Quick, fashion features editor of Vogue, said: “It continues to be the Babylon of fashion, with revolving megastores and brands popping up its length and breadth.”
Topshop is arguably the street's best-known flagship — and has had the best-known celebrity designer in Kate Moss, who quit this week after collaborating with the brand for three years. Her final range is launched in October.
Mayor Boris Johnson said: “It's no surprise to me that Oxford Street is top of the pile. Where else can you find impossibly elegant designer wear from across the globe mixing with vibrant high street fashion?”
Britain's favourite clothes stores will be honoured at the Glammys during High Street Fashion Week. Hosted by T4 presenter Jameela Jamil at the Mayfair Hotel on Monday, it will feature awards including excellence in ethical and green fashion, best dressing rooms and most creative window displays.
Reader views (9)
People waste money on dressing up a body that is heading for the grave.....you can get most things you want in the usual department stores.....and if you want trade names look in the second hand shops....often the rich wear something once then toss it out.
- Richard Merrell, Wentworth Falls, NSW Australia, 04/09/2010 03:01
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Its not just buses that clog up Oxford Street but rows of largely empty taxis that insist on using this street. A problem that could be solved if proper taxi ranks were introduced in the wider side streets.
There is also the major problem that to many small side streets are still open to traffic these should be closed and then the number of traffic lights could be reduced thus keeping Oxford Street moving!!
As for west of Oxford Circus this area will change when the buidings on the site of the new entrance to Bond Street Station are demolished.
What is relly needed is a plan to take advantage of Crossrail and tube upgrades so the shops can be linked to the stations as is the case at Canary Whalf where whatever the weather one can reach the shops without the need to go outside. One will have to wait and see if new developments like the one near Tottenham Court Station will have direct links to the station.
If the above is not done then Oxford Street will eventually loose out to the Westfield centres at Shepherds Bush and Stratford and Canary Whalf where shopping is a pleasure and not a rat run between cars,vans, taxis buses etc.etc.
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex, 03/09/2010 19:36
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There seems to be an awful lot of snobs posting here today. The poll in question doesn't relate to the tat shops up the TCR end, but but main drag from the Circus to Marble Arch. I'm a well-travelled shopper and that stretch offers the best in affordable shopping anywhere. There's not much you can buy in Milan or Paris without taking out a mortgage and the only other place I've ever been where you can find good quality inexpensive clothing is,surprisingly, Portugal.
- Blue Baby, London, 03/09/2010 14:08
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What? Oxford Street is grim. From Tottenham Court Road to Oxford Circus it consists mainly of trashy shops selling trashy stuff; from Oxford Circus to Marble Arch most of the same old boring high street shops sell the same old boring grungy rubbish that all looks the same: T shirts, jeans etc etc. A leaf should be taken from the book of the Howard de Walden estate: look at Marylebone High Street, with its mix of indies (independents) who are not put out of business because of extionate rents from greedy landlords, and a couple of 'essentials' - Boots, Tesco, Waitrose.
- Soap Box, London, 03/09/2010 14:07
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Oxford Street is a dirty crowded tacky nightmare. They should start by taking all the buses out and pedestrianising it completely.
Also, whatever happened to the dual-speed pedestrian lanes, for the benefit of those of us who, when forced to use this street, wish to proceed at something other than the velocity of a slug?
- Alex, London, 03/09/2010 13:54
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Oxford Street leading the world, who are you kidding ?
The experience of shopping on this street is like having all your teeth pulled out.
- Mr S.Port, London, 03/09/2010 13:32
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ha ha ha.. Oxford street is hell on earth !
Fifth Avenue is not actually New York's main clothing shop area. It is touristy. madison avenue is the street with all the fashionable shops..
- joanna, london, 03/09/2010 12:34
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This PR campaign is a bit quick off the mark, isn't it? The Tottenham Court Road end is a hole in the ground construction site and the much promised traffic-flow and pavement improvements are not done yet. I hope. Have they even been approved?
- Bloke, Lambeth, 03/09/2010 11:53
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Ah, yes, you can't help but be thrilled while walking along Oxford Street and passing such iconic names as Officers Club, Barratt's, Clark's, Urban Outfitters, New Look, The Suit Company, Ann Summers... not to mention all those lovely little souvenir shops selling just about everything except a kitchen sink (probably need to order those) with a Union Jack, a London Bus, Big Ben or a photo of the Queen on it.
- Paul H, London, 03/09/2010 11:31
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