If you’re looking for a practical shopping trip? No. Run. Don’t walk. If you head to Oxford Street on a rainy Saturday, you will find yourself trapped in a sea of people fighting over a £12 pair of trousers. You’ve been warned.
But if you want a story? If you want to witness the weird, beautiful, slightly dystopian collision of internet culture and real-life commerce? Go. It’s like a museum exhibit about the 2020s, except you can buy the exhibits.
My friend Sarah eventually emerged, clutching her fuzzy bucket hat like it was a holy relic. “I feel so seen,” she said, completely serious. I looked at the hat, then at the queue behind her. “And also super broke?” I asked. She laughed, because she had already spent £60 on four things. Welcome to the Shein Pop Up, folks. It’s a place where your wallet cries, but your Instagram story thrives.
Pro tip: Bring hand sanitizer. And maybe a snack. You’ll be there a while.
