Jack Wills

this place used to be an antique arcade until acquired by Jack Wills. One of the better versions of this store-​staff are friendly and welcoming and the clothes nicely laid out but my oh my it really is expensive for what ir is. Moulded on the university varsity set you can find boating blazers, prom dresses and an assortment of college shoes for male and female and the brand is involved in many music events too.
Worth waiting for the sales.

I love this store – I don’t love the little duck and don’t understand why they don’t sell more clothes and why everything needs to be branded Wills or JW, but yet I walk in all the time because this is store design at its best – it is nothing short of fantastic what they have done with that building and the downstairs is set up for bands and the fitting room I stumbled into was the coolest fitting room I’ve ever stepped foot in.
So I get suckered in and oftentimes find myself trying on (and buying) overpriced clothes wondering if I am too old for the brand and feel like I should be mixing and matching everything and headed to London Fields to try to fit in.
But for those that love stores, check it out!!!

Jack Wills clothing is trying to be the UK equivalent of Abercrombie and whilst that US brand keep their exclusivity by only opening one shop in London (and Hollister’s in every other city), Jack Wills have undergone a massive expansion scheme in the past few years.
Their Covent Garden shop used to have throngs of crowds with lines outside but with a new shop opening every other week so it seems, they have diluted their brand somewhat.
They have a bit of a tradition of choosing interesting buildings to open up in and the Islington branch is no exception. This beautiful listed building is now stuffed full of way too many items of clothing with men’s on one side and women’s on the other.
It’s very much aimed at the teenage/​student market, but what student could afford clothes from here on a student loan I’m not sure. I wouldn’t mind some of this stuff myself for the gym or something but not at these prices.
I haven’t been in this particular store for a while but they did have changing rooms that look like bedrooms in the basement along with pool table, TV and a stage set up for a rock concert. Take a look, it’s more interesting than the clothes.

So eh, Jack Wills is it? Kind of like Abercrombie and Fitch but for pretentious British people*. The fact that I had never heard of this brand before doesn’t say much for their PR machine, a shopper like me should be all over this shizz.
And in such a beautiful old building, right in the middle of Angel. Frankly I’d always assumed it was a woolly jumper shop. Doesn’t say much for their visual merchandising skills either.
But I was bored one day and wandered in. Holy Overpriced T-​Shirts Batman! They are aiming for a classic British old world style but mixed with watered down punk and rock influences. Kind of like, ‘It’s London, innit, good sir’.
If you’re a teenager with waaaay too much of Daddy’s money in your wallet and a penchant for dressing like an Oxbridge twat, THIS is the place for you. Preppy, colourful, eye-​wateringly expensive. People are gonna see you wearing this and think yes, he/​she is definitely cooler/​better/​hotter than me.**
*I know, I can hear you think, Pretentious Brits, are there any other kind? Behave!
** And that’s all you want your clothes to say, admit it. It’s not like you’re shopping at Fairtrade Fashions. Get out of my sight, you disgust me.