Topman

[I J F]

Any thoughts on Topman, im seeing it with a larger and larger presence throughout Europe.

M. U. F. C.

[triniboy27]

Sup Il,

I think Topman can be a bit too high street/H&M'ish at times...basically churning out whatever's the flavour of the month at the time....but I guess they almost have to since they're competing with the other high-street shops (River Island, Burton, etc) and so need to keep up..

That being said, their premium stuff isn't half bad. I actually own a suit from there because the price was good and the fit was even better.

I'm curious to check out their selvage when I head over to England for xmas.

Peace

[Christiaan]

horrible store.

[witts]

topman is like a cheap bargain basement version of diesel

[I J F]

Well for what I believe the main interest of those on Superfuture, Topman probably doesnt fall within the same bracket of interest. However for their concept,appeal and price points I think they provide a strong selection with diverse options. They have a stylist option and trend advisor at specific locations which is free of charge and their product seems a bit more street than H&M. I am interested as to wether or not something like this would survive in North America?

Trini What up B, actually Burton is owned by the Arcadia group who own Topshop and Topman. Pretty interesting how retail holding groups function.

M. U. F. C.

[witts]

arcadia own lots of companies.

i dno about topman surviving in the US or Canada... suppose it would fit nicely into the abercrombie & fitch style market only cheaper....

For me Topman is to Pretty boy, it offers nothing different... its clothing for your average guy who wear deisel jeans and nike rifts... slim fitting tee shirts and boot cut jeans

some of their basic shit is ok... i mean i picked up a couple of vest tops , 2 for £10 at the weekend jus to put under my tee when it gets a bit colder.. not bad with student discount aswell

[I J F]

Well I think your looking at it from an English perspective and if thats the case I totally agree with you. Theres nothing new to the table from what everyone else has to offer in terms of retail concepts. Yes, there is an abundance of them in the market right now, but these are the chains currently surviving. The basics are great and they truly do offer something for everyone. Their numbers on the womens side are apparantely pretty high too. From what ive gathered is that the English interest in Topman/Topshop is one of the highest amongst the chains.

M. U. F. C.

[Cue]

The premium jeans aren't bad, a mate of mine has some, but the shop gives me the shits. Way too many people, stuff everywhere ... no thanks.

[I J F]

So your after more of a minimalist setting where as Topman is more or less like a Gap/H&M setting?

M. U. F. C.

[SOME_DAY]

Yeah topman is shit, it's even worse than H&M and GAP, it's like a fucking Chav car-boot sale. They just launched some new range that's a savage rip of Dior Homme, with leather jackets and skinny cords etc, all distressed beyond belief. But for some strange reason it's being stocked at Opening Ceremony in New York. Does anyone know about this? It's not exactly inkeeping with the usual O.C vibe.

[I J F]

All I know is that they are looking to transform their market to be a bit more street and in the UK they do a massive turnover. Their interests are to penetrate the North American market.

M. U. F. C.

[ringring]

Topman and in particular Topshop are brilliant at what they do. Cheap, throwaway, fast-food fashion, continous turnover of new styles.

[Paul T]

Their men's stuff is inconsistent - there's really no coherent look - but their women's wear often has great items, for instance print dresses based on vintage originals, which are ludicrously priced. And did you ever see women wearing cool, vintage military jackets, from about two years ago, with '80s-looking 'Paul's Boutique' cloth badges etc? They were Topshop, I believe, for some ridiculously cheap price. Shame the designers and buyers in the men's ranges haven't caught up with them yet...

Edited by Paul T on Sep 27, 2005 at 03:21 AM

[triniboy27]

I was actually going to comment on this last nite...to RingRing's and Paul T's point, I think TOPSHOP would do well here in Canada..because the ladies are more likely to buy the trendy throwaway items (witness the success of H&M and *shudder* Le Chateau..)

I'm not sure how well TOPMAN itself would do..it would have to position itself as being somewhere between H&M and Zara/French Connection.

Weird though, cuz when I'm in England, I get the impression that all of those stores are on somewhat equal standing because they all fall into the 'high-street' segment..

[Aotearoa]

Quote: Shame the designers and buyers in the men's ranges haven't caught up with them yet...

Agreed.

[I J F]

I recently managed to have a look at Topshops fitting scheme for females and apparantely it has had a flawless response from the market, their fits couldnt be better. For men its a little different as their product could be a bit slim for the North American market. Their numbers in total in terms of turnover from UK alone are outrageous.

M. U. F. C.

[lost]

In the US it would probably depend what part of the country you are in. I honestly think in larger cities topman (as well as topshop) would have a great chance of making it. In NY it would make a nice alternative to H&M. Just like it is in Europe.

If you had told me 2 years ago that there was going to be a market for plain tshirts and basics that cost 3 times what they do other places I would have laughed. But American Apparel keeps opening stores like crazy.

Edited by lost on Oct 5, 2005 at 09:42 AM