Margaret Clayton / 10 March 2025 / Categories: Shops, Clothing

Joseph one of the only UK staple brands left

The first Joseph store I ever went into was the one next to Bibendum and Chanel in Chelsea where the Fulham Road and the Brompton Road meet. It was an experience I won’t forget as my friend at the time bought a suit and coat her mother and aunt had clubbed together to fund and my friend looked unbelievable in the gorgeous clothes. I was as green and the swing coat expertly packed in the massive black shopping bag.

These days it’s the store in St John’s Wood where I’ll find myself thumbing along the rail enjoying the feel of the clothes as much as the aesthetic.

This is what Joseph is known for. Simple, plain, quality, no prints unless it’s a check or a tweed, clothes that go with everything; made to last and pass on hand down.

Hold on to your wallet when it comes time to pay. You’ll pick up a light skinny rib jumper and then keel over when the assistant politely tells you you owe her £300.

Wonderful over coats and sumptuous knitwear, natural fibres, silks, cottons, microfibres that sculpt and shape, eco textiles that temperature regulate and everything made with the chic of a Parisian in mind.

Fast fashion has engulfed the British high street, 30 years ago Philip Green captured the imagination of women the world over bringing expansive high fashion collections (made for pennies on the dollar in far off places) from Topshop and marketing the brand globally with high profile collaborations with brand influencers like Kate Moss.

It was the beginning of driving sales of mass produced cheap goods using carefully crafted images and short videos.

This wave of mass produced fashion has pretty much killed off the fashion business as we know it. And yet beautiful Joseph has survived despite its very high (for the middle) price point.

There are other options on St John’s Wood High St, Liu Jo has closed however Zadig and Voltaire is across the street as well as Tara Jarmon and Apostrope. I like the aethetic of Zadig but I have noticed the quality decline over the last 5 years and Tara Jarmon and Apsotrophe are a little twee for me so Joseph remains my front runner when I want to buy something important.

Today I think about Joseph how I used to think about Marks and Spencer’s. I used to LOVE M&S. These days I cannot even look at the clothes in Marks and Spencer’s. If they cannot be bothered to iron them before putting them on the racks I say I cannot be bothered to look.