COW Vintage opening adds to Seven Dials' sustainable offer

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Jul 7, 2021

The sustainability-focused mix in London’s Seven Dials has a new addition with the opening of COW Vintage at 13 Shorts Gardens. It’s the vintage seller’s London debut with a 1,847 sq ft concept flagship store that’s offering one-of-a-kind pieces sourced globally, as well as recycled designer pieces and hand-crafted reworked garments.

The 13-year-old company was founded by Nigel Coughlan and Steve Adamson, and sees itself as more than just a vintage store. It describes itself as an “innovative hub of artists, musicians, and designers”, pushing boundaries and driving trends through sustainability. 

It has a strong UK following already through its webstore and shops in Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, and Nottingham, but the London opening could be crucial in putting it in front of a much wider audience once tourism starts to pick up again.

The new store also features an “eclectic interior fit-out custom created using a variety of recycled materials, down to the fixtures and fittings”.

Landlord Shaftesbury’s retail director Samantha Bain-Mollison said: “Sustainable values are becoming an increasingly significant part of a consumers’ criteria and our own, therefore it has become a fundamental part of Seven Dials’ leasing strategy. While sustainability is becoming a saturated concept across the industry, we ensure we are seeking out brands and retailers whose ethics are authentic and substantiated”.

A number of vintage and ethically-driven brands have opened in the Seven Dials neighbourhood in recent months, They include menswear label L’Estrange on Earlham Street, Goldsmith Vintage on Neal Street, lifestyle brand Olive Jennings and ethical marketplace So Just Shop on Monmouth Street.