Emma LewisThe Fashion WriterWriting Fashion and Culture

Re:So

Southampton Solent University students opened a pop up shop in a bid to revive the city’s Malands shopping centre.

The Re:So store has a mixture of Fashion and Photography, laid out into two parts, one side with clothing and accessories, the other side with an exhibition of photography and hand made goods created by students or outside designers.

Tamsin Mclaren a Senior Lecturer at Solent, who teaches Fashion Management and Marketing, revealed why the University opened the store. Tamsin said: “To provide Solent Students a platform, to show and sell work, help forge local business links, the space is a flexible retail space, which will also be used for lectures, seminars, photo-shoots and exhibitions.”

The store had different and interesting features, some of which included wine bottles, lampshades and had suitcases and vintage pieces scattered around. The store had a small dressing room at the back of the store, for people who wanted to try on pieces before purchasing them. Some of the items that were being sold were Solent merchandise hoodies and jersey jogging bottoms, both available in green and purple.

Ellisha White a student at Southampton Solent studying Fashion with Photography was at the opening of Re:So setting up her handmade jewellery from her range ‘Lemonade’ , she was selling her earrings from around £8. Ellisha revealed her inspirations and how she plans on selling her products. Ellisha said: Teddyboy, vintage businesses, D.I.Y bloggers, people learning to do things for themselves, and if they can’t then I am here to do it for them. I will appeal to a certain market, promoting to them through blog, Facebook, getting it to the right people.

Prices range in Re:So from around £8 (earrings) to £300 (Sofa) and the store also includes artwork which is being sold by suppliers, some of it was designed and created by students, other pieces were created by outside clients, the store is run by students at the University, whether its paid or on a volunteer basis. Many students fit in their work around working in the store to keep it up and running.

Jade Walbyoff a member of the public visiting the store, heard about the opening from the advertisements around the University campus. ‘”I think the shop was very inviting, I particularly liked the way they set it up, the displays were individual and although they were different they linked in well with each other,” said Jade. Miss Walbyoff added that she would happily visit the store again as the project as a whole is a brilliant idea.

Re:So are still looking for all the help they can get. “We need current and newly graduated student to come forward,” said Tamsin Mclaren. The open space can be used for many projects to help Marlands; it brings in a new clientele into the centre. Re:So plans to stay open by “attracting the right product, that is right for the Marlands consumer,” said Tamsin Mclaren as she spoke highly of the store.