I shopping and style

SPORTS RETAIL Route One

There has never really been any shortage of people Willing to sell skateboarding fashions in Scotland. Those With good memories may remember the first, Quarterback, a Gridiron, BMX and skateboarding store in Glasgow, which appeared in the mid-80s Their policy was always sport over fashion but even as skating apparel becomes a bigger part of mainstream fashion, the arrival in Edinburgh of Route One appears to be revrtalising that old DOIICy.

Route One is a shop where the sport, not the label is king and as far as sports go, there appears to be no shortage of them, including skateboarding, .n-line skating, scooters and, havrng something of a continued reVivaI, BMX. In addition to these, the shop sell kites, kite boarding and Juggling gear plus the togs to go With them all.

The company started With a store in Bath and this, their northern outpost, is their eighth store followrng the lead set by predecessors, including those in Brighton, Cardiff and Chester. Brightly lit and styled in Simple pale wood, the store is easy to browse in, a shopfloor uncomfortably over or under-stocked is a common trait for many such outlets. 'Our policy has always been to steer away from the more populist labels and go for the best specialist names we can find,’ explains acting manager John Baker.

Whether it is jeans With 32in bottoms (these are small, they do them as big as 69in), wheels for your skateboard or an adult spacehopper you need, you’ll find them here. If you can’t make it to the shop then console yourself With their web srte at wwwrouteonecouk which has all their stock,

prize draws and more on-line.

’We go to the US and approach the more interesting clothing and equipment labels and as a re5ult we have become the main UK distributor for a number of brands,’ says Baker. ’The idea is you’ll buy something from here and not see twenty other people in the street With it on.’

(Mark Robertson)

I Route One, Cockburn Street, Edinburgh, 0737 226 2 73 7,

www. routeone. co. uk

INTERIORS Fired Earth

If you have ever wondered how to get that authentic rustic feel in your house then look no further than Fired Earth in Glasgow. The company was started back in the early I980s during the

106 THE LIST 5—18 Jan 2001

architecture boom and to this day it is still architects and designers who play a large part in the success of the company, making up a high percentage of the clients alongside anybody else Who has an eye for unique hand made products.

The products available in the only Scottish showroom are paints, tiles, fabrics, floorings and rugs SOurced from around the world and bOught directly from source including the nomadic tribes who weave the rugs. Even the paints are based on the colours of the Victoria & Albert Museum With the fabrics and cushions in excluswe Fired Earth designs. Tiles are a popular part of the business With a Wide range of designs and styles on offer to Suit every room in the Muse, With the majority being hand made so it is very rare that you Will ever find two the same a fact that would drive the best tiler to despair. The designs are based on classics such as Delft and mosaic styling but there are also glass and steel tiles to keep the fashion

devotees happy The style-conscious are also catered for in their flooring range, With a vast array of deSIgns in wood, tile and stone, from an old Wine cellar style to a Tuscan villa look According to the manager of the Glasgow branch, Robert Docherty, ‘The Success of the Glasgow showroom has been phenomenal’, With people apparently travelling from across Scotland to pay them a Visit The Scottish response has been so good they Will be opening an Edinburgh branch on Castle Street in March which Will bring their number of shops to around the 50 mark It has to be said that when the words quality and unique are used y0u know the prices are gomg to be on the heavy side, but Whether you want to kit out your house or JUSI buy a tile to sit yOur teapot on, then this is the place to go and pick up something Just that little bit special (Jane Hamiltoni I Fired Earth, 83 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, 0747 204 0977, Open Mon—Sat 9 30am—5 30pm,

market@|ist.co.uk

Shoptalk

Spend, spend, spend. . .

RUMOURS ARE RIFE that H&M, the low cost high fashion retailer, firmly established in Glasgow's Buchanan Galleries is to open an Edinburgh branch on Princes Street. It seems that as we bid a sad farewell to C&A, the premises will soon be housing the Swedish retail giants. Watch this space for details.

SOPHIE DAHl IS at the (entre ol the .A\dvertising Standards Authority's latest scandal Her nude pose, arhertising Yves Saint laurent's Opium has apparently been the subre<t of hundreds of (ornplaints llas Britain suddenly been plunged into some new rnorality rnadness7 Perhaps if she'd had a push up bra on no have been more palatable

HEALTH AND BEAUTY on the web gets more popular with family favourites Boots announcing plans for a new site, www.boots.co.uk/wellbeing (soon to be www.wellbeing.com), featuring a digital TV channel to keep you up to date with the latest news. You'll be able to get professional advice on areas such as health, nutrition and fitness as well as lipstick, so it might help you stick to those New Year resolutions. 'JANUARY SALFS' GENERAI lY isn't the right phrase to use any more With rnost ot' the big stores slashing prires from Boxuig Day onwards, but design store lr'ihouse Will be offering disr ounts frorii lOarn, Saturday 6 January on a range of furniture, lighting rugs, and (ookware from designers like Alessi, Arternide and Reidel Inhouse, 24 Wr/son Street, Glasgow, 0747 552 5929, 28 Howe Street, Edinburgh, 0737 225 2888

IF TRAFFIC CONGESTION in Edinburgh is getting you down, you might be interested to know that hairdressing and beauty group Medusa have acquired a fourth site in Musselburgh. Aiming to provide all the perks of a city centre salon, including beauty rooms and a nail bar, the new outlet is set to open in February.

H8iM prepare to conquer Edinburgh