ALBION STORES - NEEDLE AND THREADS
DJ couple take their skills on the decks into the fashion world with a perfect mix of British talent and international quality at Margate’s Albion Stores
If you have spent any time in Margate in the past few years, the word ‘Albion’ will mean much. Not only the namesake of old Blighty herself, the word has made a bullish return to the in-vogue vernacular, perhaps boosted by the opening of The Libertines’ Mecca in nearby Cliftonville. So it was either dazzling foresight or outrageous good fortune when Katie Barber and Joe Lye left Albion Road in Stoke Newington (taking the name with them) to open their shop on Fort Road back in early 2017.
While Google and SEO droids try to figure out the algorithm of which site ranks higher, the duo have proved that luck has had nothing to do with their successes.
“I’d always had a dream to have a shop,” says Katie, who locals will know from her shows on Margate Radio and who dance music fans will know from her days as a resident DJ at infamous London club night Faith, Inspiration Information at the Notting Hill Arts Club, Spiritland and from starting the Adventures In Paradise label.
While the Albion Stores idea started out as a record shop, a reccy down to Margate resulted in a change of plan.
“We had friends who had moved here previously and someone shared this shop with me, and we thought it was ideal. We came to look at it and fell in love with Margate, sold up everything in London and moved,” explains Katie.
Nearby, the influence of Cliff’s and Transmission Records meant that the clothes shop idea was selected instead.
“We have both always been into clothes and fashion and have a few friends who work in the industry. And we thought there weren’t many contemporary clothes shops in Margate – there was only Ruskin here at the time,” says Katie.
Along with partner Joe Lye, who locals may also know from Margate Radio, and hardened ravers from his five years of DJ residencies at Space in Ibiza, Katie’s Albion dreams were made a reality.
Look 1
- Avery Silk Jumpsuit in cobalt blue by L.F. Markey
https://albionstores.co.uk/products/fletcher-shirt-saffron
- Kliva clog in cumin by Kitty Clogs
CLOTHES
Music holds a firm place in the store, with an old record-player occupying one corner, surrounded by specially selected vinyl for sale.
“It tends to be music from our friends’ labels and direct from distributors, so we try to keep it all with businesses that we know and love,” says Katie. “And it’s the same with the clothes. They are brands that we love ourselves.”
While customers can be warmed up with some crowd favourites like Birkenstock and Champion, the garment collection is made up from carefully selected designers with an ethos of quality and sustainability always in mind.
“We try to promote up-and-coming British designers with really good stories behind them,” says Katie. “We try to focus on smaller brands with ethical sensibilities, so we know where they are being made and that the people making them are passionate about it.”
In fact, those who visit the shop’s website will read a short bio on the producers being stocked.
“One of them is Sula, from designer Alison Taylor, based just outside Brighton, and all her designs are made with Fairtrade, organic, sustainable materials, often hand-stitched and finished,” says Katie. “Then there is LF Markey, who I have been a personal fan of since she launched. When we started buying from her, she had like two people in a studio and they are now selling all over the world.
“Jess, the designer at I And Me, used to be a buyer for denim at Top Shop and she set up her own denim label, and again it’s all beautifully made, woven on Japanese looms and hand-finished and dyed with natural, sustainable dyes.
“We like to think that our customer makes considered choices about their clothes. That it’s made ethically and they would maybe look beyond the obvious. We try to be eclectic with the kind of look that we have here, so we’ll mash up prints and colours and fabrics and try to change things up a bit.”
The shop’s positioning seems to fit the ethos – not on the beaten track but positioned beautifully on the ridge opposite the Turner Contemporary.
“We’re becoming a destination shop now,” says Joe. “We’ve been here three or four years and a lot of people have known about us or heard about us and make the trek up the hill to see us.”
And while the online side of the business has seen an upturn during the lockdowns, nothing beats the physical space.
“It’s important that people have a good feel for what we do when they walk through the door,” says Katie. “You don’t get that online, but we aren’t complaining when we sell online either.”
INSTA: @albionstores
INFO: albionstores.co.uk
Look 2
- Sugar vest in bright white by Sula
- Fletcher shirt in saffron by L.F. Markey
https://albionstores.co.uk/products/fletcher-shirt-saffron
- Selvedge Skinny Jeans by I And Me
https://albionstores.co.uk/products/fletcher-shirt-saffron
- Elba Sandal in apricot by Yogi
