Fashion shopping in high street stores can bring on a sense of dj vu: youve seen it all before and youre surrounded by people wearing very similar designs. If you live in one of the major cities, you may have a wider number of available options but even then it can be difficult to find something different and original. When it comes to finding unique and innovative clothing, accessories and gifts, the very best places to look are often independent online stores. Here are five very good reasons to shop indie.

You will avoid a cloned look The big high street fashion chains and the major online conglomerates buy in bulk and sell in very large quantities. If you shop purely with these retailers, not only will you have a far greater chance of seeing other people wearing a carbon-copy of your outfit, but you will be limiting yourself to whatever the buyers at these stores have decreed to be the current fashion uniform.

The available designs may be the best, in terms of profitability for these stores, but they may not be the very best with regard to originality and creativity. It is still possible to put together a fairly original look when shopping on the high street but all the components of your outfit will be widely available to vast numbers of other people. You are also unlikely to find unique, design-led and imaginative gifts if you shop solely with the larger retailers, as they tend to sell only mass-produced, high-profit products.

Independent stores are braver than the major retailers The larger stores play safe and only buy what they know will sell to the masses. They are unlikely to source their inventory from new designers and are not willing to buy in small quantities. Their business model depends on bulk buying and smaller suppliers are not in the position to produce on demand in great quantities.
Independent stores are far more willing to take the chance on young, little-known designers and will be much more likely to stock designs which are one-offs or limited edition. This means that you will have access to original and unique designs which are not available on the high street. Independent stores are also more willing to push the boundaries when it comes to non-mainstream and sub-cultural fashions and often stock the kind of avant-garde and cutting-edge designs which cannot be found in the larger stores.

Independent stores are more likely to be environmentally-friendly Most of the big stores depend on exporting container-loads of products from China, who now supply the vast majority of clothing sold worldwide. Some larger stores do attempt to adhere to a position of social responsibility with regard to the origins of their products but mass-production always carries with it the possibility of unfair working practices and damaging ecological effects. Independent stores can also source a proportion of their stock from overseas suppliers but are far more likely to buy in small quantities from other independent businesses, often sourcing their stock from small companies within their own geographical area.

Many independent online stores buy their inventory from individual crafters and designers and this can encourage diversity and help these crafts to survive and flourish. An increasing number of independent stores actively seek out suppliers who use environmentally-friendly processes and materials and there is a greater availability of hand-crafted, re-claimed, re-styled and vintage products.

Customer service is better at independent stores The larger conglomerates have a massive marketing budget and have a more powerful physical or online presence and this allows them to attract very large numbers of customers. Overall sales patterns are important to these retailers but individual customer support is less of a priority, as revenue lost from an unsatisfied customer has little consequence to these well-established businesses. The bigger the business is, the more it is removed from the customer and the less opportunity there is for direct communication with the decision-makers within the system.

Independent stores are usually run by a very small number of people or a sole proprietor and have a relatively small customer base. Every customer is important to these stores, who are dependent on return custom and word-of mouth recommendations. It is also far easier to contact the owner or manager in person -- who will have much more at stake than larger retailers when it comes to maintaining customer satisfaction.

Additionally -- whilst it may appear that the bulk-buying of the larger stores should mean that their prices would be lower -- this is not always the case, as smaller online stores have much lower overheads and this can be reflected in the price of the products.

Youll be reducing the monopoly of faceless corporations No-one wants to see a situation where variety and diversity are lost and we are reduced to a situation where small retailers vanish and the only choice is to shop with the high street giants. Smaller retailers seek to make a decent living from their business but are usually passionate about what they do and will be personally involved in every aspect of their business, whereas the profit-motive is central to every decision taken by the bigger players.

High street shopping may be well-suited to stocking-up on the basics but it can also be a dreary exercise and can result in a wardrobe full of uninspired, identikit fashions. Many of us love to shop at unique and quirky little out-of-the-way boutiques, where we can poke around and discover original, exciting fashion-finds but in the past we were limited by locations which we could physically visit. Widespread access to the internet has changed all that and the possibilities are now limitless.

Force of habit and the relative power of the major retailers may lead us to the pedestrian option of buying only from big name stores but a wonderful world awaits those who decide to step out of the ordinary and opt to shop with indie retailers. Shopping at online independent stores offers the opportunity of the undiscovered, the exceptional and beautifully unique.

About the author:

Scottie helps run the Larkin & Catcher alternative boutique: http://www.larkinandcatcher.com

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