Dalston, East London
In 2009 The Guardian declared Dalston in east London to be ‘the coolest place’ in Britain. Designers Christopher Kane, Gareth Pugh and Marius Schwab had studios there, while Pam Hogg, Terry De Havilland and Jimmy Choo were frequently seen out and about. Pre Instagram (it started in 2010) mainstream media mattered and people took notice and started to venture out of ‘fashionable’ West London. I moved to the area in 1989 because it was cheap and my friends and neighbours were like-minded artists, designers, social workers and teachers. We were surprised and amused to hear that our much loved, but previously ignored run down part of Hackney was now ‘cool’, and to be honest we didn’t care – we lived there for economic reasons and over the 30 years I lived there we built a real sense of community.
Pubs back then were full of students, families, twenty somethings and old men who had their own space at the bar. Everyone pretty much rubbed along together, Friday nights were about pints and a packet of crisps and if you wanted food you went home and cooked it. As Dalston continued to become the centre of all things fashionable, other areas of Hackney that were previously seen as no-go areas – murder mile anyone – also became more desirable. Fashion and Lifestyle shops opened, pubs became gastro pubs and house prices went up. The rest is history, we reached peak gentrification and my children couldn’t afford to live where they grew up – in fact nor could I – but thats another story.
Back in 2019 Malakaï Sargeant wrote about watching the area he grew up in become gentrified.
“I remember a time not so long ago when the utterance of the place-name ‘Hackney’ drew looks of sympathetic concern, coinciding with a false smile that read, “I’m so sorry you have to go through that,” as if living in the borough was synonymous with suffering from continuous traumatic stress.”
Gen Z’s nostalgia for simpler times isn’t just driven by gentrification. A growing backlash against rising rents, increasing costs, and digital overload has led them to embrace TikTok-driven vintage inspired fashion trends, thrift shopping, real-life connections, meaningful experiences, and more budget-friendly lifestyles.
Fashion is also facing a pricing backlash. A Guardian article recently asked, “Is Luxury Fashion in its Flop Era?“. As luxury brands hike prices without improving quality, smaller brands are stepping in, offering both exclusivity and well-crafted products. Meanwhile, ostentatious displays of wealth are increasingly seen as tacky and outdated, with even affluent shoppers opting for subtle, if you know, you know (IYKYK) brands over flashy designer labels.
Our S/S 26 Macro Trend, Be Real looks at how customer connection is becoming more important than follower count, as brands recognize the value of authentic feedback and a strong sense of community. Innovative brands are making events and experiences more accessible, shifting away from exclusivity in favour of genuine connections and real customer feedback, over paid influencers.
But what truly defines genuine connection in a world where authenticity has become a marketing buzzword and has lost much of its original meaning? And what constitutes community when rising costs make neighbourhoods too expensive to sustain the diversity that once brought them to life?
Younger generations are gravitating toward the types of hospitality experiences and real life connections that are gradually fading away. Research shows that four out of five Gen Z-ers, and two-thirds of millennials, are more likely to visit pubs that offer karaoke, games, and live music. In London, traditional pubs are becoming increasingly rare, and those that remain are becoming more and more popular with people of all ages looking for a non-bougie night out.
The Mildmay Club, Newington Green, London
Time Out recently featured The Mildmay Club in Newington Green, highlighting how the fashion crowd has embraced it as their new go-to spot, replacing more pretentious clubs such as Shoreditch House. As a local member for the past 20 years, I love that it remains one of the few places in the area that hasn’t been overtaken by gentrification. People from all walks of life – old and young, rich and poor – are welcome, and nobody cares about your appearance or background, as we are all there for the cheap drinks, Northern Soul nights and Friday night bingo.
We all know Guinness is having a moment with the Gen Z crowd — designer JW Anderson included. The Auld Shillelagh in Stoke Newington is often touted as one of the best places to enjoy a pint of the black stuff in the capital. The tiny Irish pub doesn’t serve food and wine is either red or white, but the Guinness is good and you can guarantee you will leave having made life-long friends with the group on the table next to you.
Meanwhile up in Tottenham, Mannions Prince Arthur is a north London Irish pub. The interior gives old school authentic, a pool table, a long bar and a life-sized mural of Samuel Beckett, looking over the room from behind various sports screens. The pub is next to the High Cross Centre, a former warehouse that is now a hub for artists, designers, models and young start-ups, who have adopted the pub as their local. Elfie Reigate is a Tottenham resident and Mannions regular, who recently modelled in a fashion shoot for The Standard at the pub.
Elfie Reigate at Mannions Prince Arthur
“My generation loves traditional pubs. More than 34 of them shut every month on average in the UK, and yet the ones I go to are packed with 20-somethings. My friends and I rarely go to clubs, preferring a long pub session — maybe with some karaoke or live music — over going “out-out” into town”.
I recently moved from Hackney to Tottenham, which still draws looks of sympathetic concern when I say I live there. But it’s slowly transforming, with young families and creatives flocking here for affordable housing, studio space and a sense of community. It’s still grubby, run-down, and edgy — like Hackney used to be — but is it only a matter of time before gentrification takes over?
Look out, Mannions and The Mildmay—the bankers are on their way…..
