How Topshop became one of the most iconic high street brands ever
You just had to be there
Last week, millennial hearts were all aflutter as Topshop took to Instagram to announce “We missed you too” and “We’ve been listening”. The cryptic posts, which oscillated between the iconic Topshop and Topman logos, sent the internet into a meltdown — could the Noughties high street staple be making a comeback?
While we’re not entirely sure what’s on the horizon — beyond the voucher treasure hunt that took place in London this weekend and the revival of the brand’s standalone website — we do know that Topshop is going to be introduced to an entirely new audience.
But what happens when you weren’t there for its heyday? Do Gen-Z know the importance of Topshop as a mecca of accessibly cool clothes, in the days before online shopping and viral micro-trends? It must be impossible to imagine such a thing.
While the brand was in no way perfect — it lacked size inclusivity and its then-owner Philip Green went onto to be accused of tax evasion, sexual and racial harassment amongst other controversies — for many suburban young people it provided a first foray into the world of fashion.
Below, we've compiled some of Topshop’s most iconic moments before it disappeared from the high street and went into administration in 2020 to educate the youth of today of its cultural importance. You’re welcome (and maybe you’ll spot yourself in a photo).
The Oxford Street flagship store
When you speak to most millenials about Topshop, they fondly refer to the giant Oxford Street flagship as ‘big Topshop’. It opened in 1994, spanning three floors and 90,000 sq ft. It sadly closed in 2021, in the midst of the pandemic (it’s now set to be an Ikea) but for many years it was a place to meet, socialise and shop. It had a DJ booth, nail bar, hairdresser, piercing studio and food and drink stalls inside, meaning you could spend hours inside with your mates. It felt like the epicentre of the universe, and was the beating heart of the Topshop brand.
The Kate Moss collab
In 2002, Philip Green bought the Arcadia group (which owned Topshop, Miss Selfridge and Wallis amongst others). He first collaborated with Kate Moss on a range for Topshop in 2007, at a time when celebrity partnerships were not dime-a-dozen as they are now. Thousands of people queued up outside the Oxford Street store to shop the collection (remember, this was pre-iPhone) and Moss herself made an appearance in the window, posing as if she were one of the mannequins. It caused a media-frenzy and has gone down in fashion history, much like the clothes which were based on items from her own wardrobe.
She went on to produce 14 collections for the high street brand, up until 2010, before a final partnership in 2014.
The many other collabs
In 2003, Topshop became a headline sponsor of the British Fashion Council, supporting the NewGen program and fashion talent incubator Fashion East. It began developing exclusive collaborations with emerging fashion designers such as Christopher Kane, Mary Katrantzou, Jonathan Saunders, Meadham Kirchhoff and JW Anderson. Again, this was way ahead of the curve for the time period — it wasn’t commonplace for a designer to collaborate with a high street brand. These items were often only available in the Oxford Street flagship store, and tended to sell out, helping to launch the careers and standalone labels of many designers. After all, who could forget the 2009 Christopher Kane gorilla and crocodile t-shirts dresses which had every cool-girl in a chokehold?
In 2016, Green teamed up with Beyoncé to develop her athleisure clothing line Ivy Park. On the launch date, so many people tried to shop the collection that Topshop's website crashed. However, she cut ties with Green in 2018 after he was accused of sexual and racial harassment, buying him out of the company.
The transatlantic connection
Topshop feels like a quintessentially British brand, and it was — however, it managed to have huge success in America due to its ability to package the ‘Cool Britannia’ aesthetic. It opened a flagship store in New York City in 2009, on Broadway in Manhattan, with Kate Moss and Sir Philip Green opening the doors to crowds and queues of excited fans. At the time, Teen Vogue's fashion news director, Jane Keltner is quoted as saying "It's just Topshop mania over here”. The brand also hosted several star-studded parties with guests including the cast of Gossip Girl, Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, Debbie Harry, Jimmy Fallon and performances from Mark Ronson, Santigold and Adele.
It went on to open several more stores in the city and the rest of the US, eventually operating in 37 different countries at its peak, with over 500 stores worldwide.
The celeb fans
There’s no doubt about it — Topshop was *the* it-girl brand of the era. Peaches and Pixie Geldof, Alexa Chung, Jaime Winstone, Olivia Palermo and Poppy Delevigne were all huge fans, wearing the designs and sitting front row at the London Fashion Week shows. Everyone wore Topshop, from Princess Beatrice to Lily Allen — it managed to strike a high-low balance that fit into everyone's wardrobes, no matter their style.
The fashion
In 2003, as well as becoming a headline sponsor of London Fashion Week, Topshop also set up a catwalk show space in a bid to support young talent. In 2005, the Topshop Unique collection made its own runway debut, It was a design-led, in-house label and went on to make a name for itself in the designer world — models would include Karlie Kloss, Cara Delevingne, Lara Stone, Erin O’Connor and Jourdan Dunn.
Topshop Unique remained a part of the London Fashion Week schedule until Topshop went into administration in late 2020. The Arcadia group closed all of it's stores, including the iconic flagship on Oxford Street, and 2021 it was bought by etailer giant ASOS, with the remaining stock sold through its website.
Feeling nostalgic? Shop 10 of the best Topshop buys available on ASOS now.
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