High Street Ages

Last night the young man and I were discussing the high street chain Next, and he asked me how long Next had been around. Horrified, I admitted I didn’t know (that’s the kind of thing a shopaholic fashionista should know, right?). So I have looked it up and durr! It’s 1982. As in the established ‘82 sweaters they were selling a few years back. D’oh! But this has got me thinking, much of the high street is far older than I realised so why not investigate further and make a list (everyone loves a good list, right?)?

Well, it turns out that Next is the baby of the high street. Great-Grandma Dorothy Perkins dates back to 1909 when it was established as H.P. Newman Ltd., changing its name to Dorothy Perkins in 1919. 1919 is the year that Debenhams was also founded. In 1948, a shop called Lewis Separates began. This would change its name to Chelsea Girl before becoming River Island in 1989. 1964-66 were good years for fashion as they saw the launch of Topshop (1964), Faith (1964) and Miss Selfridge (1966). Topshop began life in a Sheffield department store called Peter Robinson and it wasn’t until 1974 that it became a standalone business. Zara also launched in 1974 with Long Tall Sally following 2 years later in 1976.