Skims, the wildly popular clothing brand co-founded and launched by Kim Kardashian, has brought its swimwear collection to Europe for the first time ever.
The best-selling range of swimming costumes and bikinis is available to shop at the first-ever European Skims pop-up in London, as well as being stocked in Manchester.
Selfridges department stores in both the Trafford Centre and in the city centre will have an edit of the collection for customers to shop.
Down south, the Corner Shop at Selfridges London has become an immersive Skims experience, designed to replicate a Summer Los Angeles poolside oasis, down to the diving boards and palm trees.
Shoppers will even be able to grab custom Skims ice cream treats by Chin Chin Labs while they browse.
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It’s been designed in partnership with the brand’s long-time collaborator, Willo Perron of Perron-Roettinger.
The Skims swimwear edit available to shop at Selfridges Manchester Trafford and Selfridges Manchester Exchange Square will include the brand’s signature cuts in multiple coverage levels and colourways.
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The Skims swim collection, now available to shop in ManchesterThe Skims swim collection, now available to shop in Manchester. Credit: SuppliedThe Skims swim collection, now available to shop in Manchester. Credit: Supplied
The pop-up experience and arrival into Europe follows the opening of a Skims Summer Pop-Up in New York, where visitors waited in a queue for more than two hours every day to shop.
The brand has also revealed plans to expand into free-standing stores across the UK and Europe within the next three years.
Jens Grede, co-founder and CEO at Skims said: “I’m thrilled to open our first international pop-up experience at the iconic Selfridges Corner Shop. We expect demand and buzz to be high as this is the first time SKIMS Swim will be available in retail outside of the U.S.
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“The pop-up experience will set the tone for the future of Skims in London, as the cultural and fashion destination is a key market for our global expansion.”
The Skims pop-up space in Selfridges London. Credit: SuppliedThe Skims pop-up space in Selfridges London. Credit: Supplied
Robert Norton, Chief Commercial Officer at Skims, said: “As we look to establish SKIMS as a global brand, Selfridges London is the optimal starting point for the next phase of SKIMS journey with our existing customer base in the UK and unparalleled business at Selfridges to date.
“The pop-up experience and expansion of our permanent shop-in-shop space at Selfridges set the framework for our global retail strategy, and we will continue to leverage multi-brand partnerships this year as we plan to open 35 shop-in-shops in the U.S. and internationally.”
Bosse Myhr, Selfridges Director of Womenswear and Menswear, said: “We are extremely excited to welcome SKIMS Swim to the Selfridges Corner Shop, continuing to build on our long-standing relationship with the brand.
“We know our customers love SKIMS product and its distinct point of view. We are looking forward to Selfridges customers being the first to explore the SKIMS Swim collection in Europe, with an extraordinary shopping experience that will get everyone in the mood for summer.”
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Skims is available to shop in Manchester now at Selfridges store, while stocks last.
Featured image: Supplied
Shopping
Hello Oriental opens new ‘seriously affordable’ Asian food hall at the Trafford Centre
Emily Sergeant
Manchester gem Hello Oriental is finally opening its new Asian food hall at the Trafford Centre this weekend.
The renowned East Asian street food hub has already taken Manchester city centre by storm since opening its original venue at Circle Square, just off Oxford Road, back in February 2022, and been has receiving rave reviews ever since – with critics notably calling the experience “a lot of fun” and “seriously affordable”.
But now, the Manchester-founded brand has chosen the Trafford Centre as the first UK shopping centre location to bring its trademark street food dining concept to.
There’ll be more than 100 delicious dishes for customers to choose from when the new site opens in the Upper Orient this Saturday.
Hello Oriental has opened a new Asian food hall at the Trafford Centre / Credit: The Manc Group
Hello Oriental owners and childhood best friends, Ricky Yip and Azim Kourah, say they have selected some of the most popular dishes from the Manchester city centre site’s extensive menu for the new Trafford Centre restaurant.
This means diners at the Trafford Centre can enjoy traditional dishes from across East Asia – including a wide range of Dim Sum, hearty main dishes like Taiwanese pork belly with rice, traditional favourites like beef Ho fun, and loads of different Cantonese roast meats.
There’ll also be a wide selection of street food available, like Korean fried chicken, loaded katsu chicken fries, and three varieties of sticky chicken wings.
There’s also plenty for the little Mancs to tuck into too, as there’ll be a full kid’s menu available at the new Trafford Centre site, with options for both those with “adventurous” junior palates, to those who prefer “more familiar” tastes.
“We’re so excited to open in the Trafford Centre and give shoppers the chance to try our dishes from across East Asia,” commented co-owner, Ricky Yip, ahead of the new opening.
“Many of the dishes on the menu were enjoyed by Azim and I growing up, cooked by my family, or served in family restaurants, and it’s wonderful to see other families come to Hello Oriental to enjoy these flavours.”
Hello Oriental will be opening at the Trafford Centre this Saturday (1 February), with thousands of prizes to give away to celebrate Lunar New Year.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
Shopping
A coffee shop in Manchester is giving away hundreds of FREE croissants today
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of croissants are being handed out for free today from a coffee shop in Manchester for a special reason.
In case you didn’t know, today (Thursday 30 January) is National Croissant Day, and apparently, Manchester is a city of serious pastry lovers, as the Cross Street branch of national coffee shop chain, Pret A Manger, is actually the top-selling Pret pastry shop in the whole of the UK – with the Chocolate Croissant, in particular, reigning supreme as the customer favourite.
Pret customers are said to devour around 17 million pastries a year, with the humble croissant being the most popular pick.
So, to celebrate Manchester’s love of sweet flaky pastries, and to mark National Croissant Day itself, Pret will be handing out a whopping 300 croissants for completely free of charge from its store on Cross Street, in the heart of the city centre.
A coffee shop in Manchester is giving away hundreds of free croissants today / Credit: PICRYL
You can claim one of the 300 free croissants with any coffee purchase today, but it’s only while stocks last, so you’ll need to be quick.
There’s three different croissants to choose from – the All Butter, Chocolate, or Almond Croissant.
“At Pret, we pride ourselves on serving our customers pastries freshly baked that same day,” commented Anna Tebbs, who is the UK Head of Food at Pret, ahead of the big giveaway.
“With around 17 million pastries sold each year, it’s clear our customers can’t get enough of these flaky favourites, so we’re thrilled to celebrate National Croissant Day by giving back to croissant fans with a special treat.
They’re only available for one day from Pret on Cross Street / Credit: Supplied
“Whether it’s a classic All Butter or a rich Croissant Almond, there’s a pastry for every taste, and a day like this is all about enjoying them to the fullest.”
To get your hands on a buttery flaky croissant to start your day, all you’ll need to do is visit the Cross Street Pret shop today, the earlier the better to be sure there’s still some left, and order any barista-made coffee drink, then you’ll get to pick which type of croissant you’d like to take away with you.
Daisy Jackson -
22nd June 2023 
