Shopping

A massive second-hand clothes shop has opened in Manchester – and everyone is loving it

There's brands like Carhartt, Tommy Hilfiger, Dickies and Barbour.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 16th September 2022

A huge second-hand shop has opened in Manchester city centre and has already become the talk of the town.

Bare Necessities has taken over the former LOFT showroom on High Street, where you’ll find up to 20,000 items of pre-loved clothing on sale at any one time.

The thrift shop specialises in sourcing high-quality used clothing, which is then expertly cleaned and put back on sale as an affordable price.

And it really is affordable – prices start from just £1.

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You’ll find row upon row of denim, coats, knitwear, t-shirts, skirts, and accessories, including a rainbow display of tops that greets shoppers as they come in.

There’s even a whole section of ski clothing, crochet blankets, and fancy dress items.

Inside Bare Necessities / Credit: The Manc Group

Brands like Carhartt, Tommy Hilfiger, Dickies and Barbour are all stocked alongside items like patchwork crop-tops, that have been repurposed from other fabrics.

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Bare Necessities says: “Our mission is to source our forward-thinking customers with the highest quality of used clothing at the lowest possible price.

“Slow fashion shouldn’t break the bank, and only when second-hand fashion becomes more affordable will there be a larger shift towards the used clothing industry.”

@the.manc

Who doesn’t love a thrift shop bargain? #thrift #thriftshop #vintage #vintageshop #preloved #secondhand #manchester #northernquarter #placestovisit

♬ GASLIGHT – INJI

The team who work there individually source clothes from piles of second-hand items that are heading for landfill.

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The items are given a full facelift, from de-bobbling knitwear to fixing zips and pockets to being washed and ironed.

Bare Necessities will also rescue damaged clothing and reuse the fabric as much as possible.

Inside Bare Necessities / Credit: The Manc Group

Since the pop-up shop opened in the last few weeks, dozens of people have been sharing TikToks and social media posts of their hauls.

TikTok user Francesca Perks’ video from the store has now gained hundreds of thousands of views.

She described it as the ‘best thrift haul of my life’ and said it was ‘like no other’, before revealing two bulging bags containing a £30 coat, a knitted red jumper, and one of the aforementioned crochet blankets.

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Read more: A huge new luxury trainer and menswear store has opened inside the old Paperchase

One person commented: “Omg this place seems magical,” and another said: “Literally no idea where this place is but we must go for my sanity.”

Someone else said: “I’ve been debating going but now I’m SOLD.”

Bare Necessities is now open on High Street in Manchester city centre.

Featured Image – The Manc Group

Shopping

Intro, the 90s Manchester menswear store that survived the IRA bomb

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

With a glut of new luxury menswear stores opening in Manchester city it’s easy to overlook what we already have.

In the past few years, Manchester’s welcomed the likes of KershKicks, KickGame, Sneaker63, Yards Store, Clints Inc and, more recently, END. Clothing, significantly upping its premium menswear game.

Whilst it’s been a long time coming, right now it feels like there are endless options for male shoppers looking for some luxury. But for those who knew where to look, there have always been a few reliable gems.

We’re talking about Intro, a local family-run clothing store that’s been dressing well-heeled Mancs ever since the nineties.

A fixture in the city centre for two generations, it was initially opened by the late Irvin Grant in 1990 on St Ann’s Square under the name Zico.

The first floor of Intro clothing on Deansgate. / Image: The Manc Group
MPD BOX Varsity Jacket Green/Orange / Image: The Manc Group

Named after the famous 80s Brazilian footballer Arthur Antunes Coimbra, better known as Zico, the store became something of a go-to in the eighties and early nineties for fashionable gents – until the bomb hit it, anyway.

After many happy years, the storefront was forced to relocate after it was nearly destroyed by the devastating 1996 IRA Bomb, which famously left little more than a bright red Market Street post box standing in its wake.

Fortunately, Irvin had already opened a second store, Intro, with the same philosophy six years earlier. This meant that when disaster struck his sought after collections of exclusive, premium menswear were able to relocate to Intro, which remains in the same spot today.

Sadly Irvin passed away from cancer earlier this year, so now the family legacy is being carried on by his son, Oliver Grant.

Oliver tells us: “Basically dad originally started from my grandma. My grandma owned a leather company in Portugal, she had a factory, making leather shoes and jackets, and my dad learnt everything from [her].

“My dad Irvin opened up a shop in the seventies called Just In Fashion, men’s fashion, all menswear, with his mum, my grandma, Joan.

“In the eighties, he opened his own store called Zico, and Zico was famous from the Brazilian footballer, a famous 80s footballer, anyway he opened the shop and it was a big hit.

MPD BOXVarsity Jacket White/Black. / Image: The Manc Group

“A lot of people from Manchester from the older generation all know Zico from the eighties. Always the same philosophy: different, funky, exclusive and premium.

“We’ve always done that, and that’s what he’s always stuck by and the philosophy continues this day from the original is keeping it different, keeping it exclusive, and that’s what we’ll always be like.

“We’re not going to do commercial labels, we’re about being different a bit European […] We do things differently.

“So from the 80s he had a shop called Zico then he opened a shop called Intro in 1990, because Zico was at the Royal Exchange.

“We had two shops at the time, Intro and Zico, and 1996 when the bomb went off Zico got hit hard and it affected business so Zico was written off, so that was the end of that in 96. But Intro continued, yeah. and like I say 1990 established and hopefully we’ll continue.”

Read more: The hidden Manchester sneaker store selling £10k Air Jordans and rare Yeezys

Image: The Manc Group
Image: The Manc Group

Today you’ll find Intro on Deansgate inside the Barton Arcade. Thirty-two years on, it’s still going strong and stocking some of the most sought-after luxury menswear brands on the market.

Inside, you’ll find clothing and accessories from Manchester’s own Off The Rails, Transit, Kangol, Cote & Ciel, Anthony Morato and many, many more.

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Split across two floors, a quick dig into the rails reveals graphic t-shirts, branded coach and varsity jackets, hoodies, luxury trainers and rows upon rows of designer jeans.

Elsewhere, for those after more business-appropriate attire, you’ll find a mix of smart suit jackets and tailored but casual sports coats, jackets and overshirts, perfect for taking busy city lads from day to night.

As well as having a physical shop on Deansgate, Intro also has an online store where shoppers can browse at leisure online. To find out more and visit Intro’s website, click here.

Feature image – The Manc Group

Shopping

Manchester’s student shopping event is back and ‘bigger than ever’ – with huge discounts at over 120 stores

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Manchester‘s popular student shopping event is back and “bigger than ever” next week, and there’s dozens of discounts up for grabs.

With a new academic year, comes the return of MCR Student Social.

For just one day only next week, both new and returning students can make the most of a whole host of unmissable offers – with over 120 stores inside Manchester Arndale and across the city centre dishing out discounts.

There’ll also be live entertainment, competitions and games to get involved in, and so much more.

Students who make their way into the heart of the city centre between 12pm – 7pm next Thursday 219 September can get their hands on up to 30% off in over 120 stores – including Levi’s, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, River Island, Monki, Pretty Green, Mango, Superdry, Kick Game, Jack & Jones, Office and Schuh.

Not only that, but if all the shopping has got you working up an appetite, then there’s also up to 50% off on food and drink at places like Döner Shack, Archie’s, Pizza Hut, Pan-n-Ice, Wolf Italian Street Food, and Slim Chickens.

The Cube, and Putters at Urban Playground are also offering up to 50% off too.

And on top of all those incredible deals, there’ll be plenty of free entertainment to enjoy throughout the Arndale and city centre.

Here’s everything you can expect.

MCR Student Social is back for one day only on Thursday 29 September / Credit: MCR Student Social

Manchester Arndale

As the main hub of the MCR Student Social 2022, head inside Manchester Arndale to spin the wheel at the ‘Student Digs’ for a chance to win some prizes, both big and small, that are perfect for your new home – with everything from toilet roll, to gift cards up for grabs.

You can also challenge your mates to a nerves-of steel ‘Giant Human Buzzer’ game, where the loser has to put the bins out for a month

Make sure to keep an eye out for the ‘Roaming Roulette’ team too, where you’ll need to stick your hand in the roulette box and guess what the weird and wonderful textures are for a chance to take home some more prizes.

Manchester’s student shopping event is back and “bigger than ever” next week / Credit: Jason Lock Photography (via MCR Student Social)

Play Zone

Exchange Square

If you make your way over to Exchange Square, then you’ll be able to try your hand at Foam Axe Throwing, Pong, Crazy Golf and Virtual Bowling with Printworks.

Plus there’ll also be a table football tournament, giant games, and more from Manchester BID.

Read more:

New and returning students can make the most of unmissable offers / Credit: Jason Lock Photography (via MCR Student Social)
There’ll also be live entertainment, competitions and games to get involved in / Credit: Jason Lock Photography (via MCR Student Social)

Party Zone, Info Zone & Food Zone

Market Street

Market Street is not only the city’s main shopping thoroughfare, but it’s also home to the MCR Student Social Party Zone, Info Zone, and Food Zone this year.

The Party Zone is where you’ll find Urban Playground’s The Cube, a chill-out area, free samples from Nordic Spirit, aerial performers, dancers, and games, as well as The Manc’s DJ Truck playing the finest hip-hop, funk and party anthems throughout the day.

Over at the Info Zone, you can tke on challenges from King Street Gym and Canal River Trust, sign up with MINT Hospitality & Events people, hear from the Manchester Science Festival, and chat to the team from Nationwide.

Then at the Food Zone, you can enjoy some free pizza from Franco Manca, giveaways from Döner Shack, prizes from Barburrito, and so much more.

Featured Image – MCR Student Social

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