White Stuff pegs itself as one of that breed of shops that trades on how quirky it comes across, and in a world where Primark has more floorspace than the local castle, quirkiness can be good. They're of the same ilk as Hobo's and those kinds of shops. Specifically, White Stuff pegs itself as a shop concerned with the environment and looking to introduce a touch of multiculturalism into the fashionista consciousness, giving the impression that the business owners were a group of hippies who lived through the 60s and 70s, saw the rise of capitalism and thought "that doesn't actually sound too bad...."
And normally, that would get right on my nips. That pseudo-ethnicity that some businesses lay claim to that says "we're just foreign enough to you to seem interesting, but not foreign enough scare you" is terrible. It's a horrible, calculated thing that transforms an entire culture into a marketing commodity. However, where White Stuff scores points is in the fact that this doesn't come across as a ploy. The company takes steps to hire backpackers and travelers as staff in order to get people with experience in these cultures. It's a dedication to an ethos that is distressingly rare nowadays. read more