Set right near the bustling alley of London’s Camden Passage lies the Mecca of 80’s apparel and punk flair: Shock and Soul vintage.
Filled with racks of neon, white washed denim and worn black leather, the shop is a kaleidoscope of color and quirks.
Shoulder pads stick playfully from racks as glittering dresses flirt with customers and stunning vintage chairs invite shoppers to relax.
The usual customer is someone “who wants to be different or unusual, doesn’t want to look the same as everyone else, and likes something exclusive that’s vintage,” manager Bex Ward says.
On a Monday afternoon the shop is definitely full with those who “want to be unusual,” but it is equally full of the very usual-looking schoolgirls and soccer moms; the reincarnation of Joan Jett stands directly beside Martha Stewart’s greatest fan and no one seems to mind.
The welcoming of a myriad of personalities seems to be due to the appeal of the apparel, but it might also be due to the persona of Shock and Soul’s owner.
“She’s got a great eye and a good sense of humor. She projects a lot of her big personality into the shop,” Ward says.
The shop began on EBay and only translated into the Islington High Street store a year and a half ago.
Though Shock and Soul items can still be found on EBay, the store has taken precedent.
“We do EBay but it’s hard to concentrate on that with the shop cause the shop’s been so successful,” Ward says.
The success of the shop is clearly evident in the bustling store. Customers shop breezily and most leave happy.
According to Ward, Shock and Soul really values the shopping experience.
“We leave space in the rail so you can actually see the goods and everything’s in really good condition. It’s all washed and steamed and hung and checked for repairs before it goes out so where as in a lot of other vintage stores it’s the rummaging through that takes up the time, we and try and take the headache out of that for the customer,” Ward says.
In fact, Shock and Soul doesn’t consider itself a traditional vintage store at all.
“We do really pride ourselves on everything being quality. There are a lot of other vintage shops but we consider ourselves to be more of a specialized boutique,” Ward says.
Specialized service is also valued at the shop.
“If someone comes in the shop and they’re not really sure what they’re looking for, we’ll style them in the shop and take them around to the pieces that we know will look good on them,” Ward says.
Though this treatment sounds quite special, it’s known that store attendants tend to be on overly kind with wardrobe assessments when it comes to possible sales.
“We are very honest with our customers as well and I think that brings people back. We would never try to sell them something that doesn’t suit them,” Ward says.
Though style may differentiate between customers, the definitively 80’s theme has been a huge selling point for the shop in the past few months.
“Eighties is in high demand. We do try and sort of maintain other eras throughout the store as well but obviously when the customers are coming in specifically looking for the eighties then that’s what we’re going to supply for them,” Ward says.
So this may not be the place to pick up a new fifties cocktail dress or a seventies maxi gown. But Shock and Soul does have some other surprises up its (sequined and beaded) sleeve.
“The corsets are a new addition and they’ve been doing really well, they’ve been really popular which is quite a surprise but because its got that very vintage look its been really popular,” Ward says.
The stunning but completely unpractical lingerie seems like a strange purchase, but lo and behold shoppers buzz about the corset display like bees on honey. Perhaps it’s because they love lingerie, but more likely it’s because the corsets are new and different and the shoppers trust Shock and Soul’s sense of style enough to go with it.
But if previously worn intimates aren’t your thing, the shop also boasts some never-been-worn finds.
“We’re really lucky to have a stock of original 80’s earrings that have never been worn. So they’re really popular, we’re quite well known for the accessories as well,” Ward says.
Though it’s the quality and uniqueness of the products that may draw shoppers in, it’s the attention to detail and reputation that keeps customers coming back.
“We’re always on the up. We’re always doing better and better as the reputation of the shop spreads because we don’t do a lot of marketing in terms of advertising and stuff like that. We try to let the shop speak for itself,” Ward says.
I imagine that if a shop could really speak for itself, this one might yell out some 1980’s Madonna lyrics and pump its leather fist in the air.
This eccentricity is evident from the sparkly pumps on the floor, to the patent leather clutches hanging from the ceiling.
It seems, that in the end, Shock and Soul cares about its customers, but really cares about the integrity of the clothes.
“With vintage it’s very personal, we need people to look good in that particular item. Id rather see it go to someone who’s going wear it than for it to sit in someone’s wardrobe,” Ward says.
That passion for the clothes is evident in Shock and Soul, and even if you don’t possess an innate love of the 80’s, once you leave the shop you’ll be humming Madonna’s “material girl” too.
Shock and Sole Vintage
100 Islington High Street
London N1 8EG
020 7359 1490
