When I first heard about the Arcadia brands – including Topshop, Miss Selfridge and Dorothy Perkins – closing, I felt sad and disappointed, but I wasn’t shocked. I’ve always loved the high street – I’ve grown up with it, it’s what I’ve been able to afford and it has resonated with me throughout my years as a pre-teen, fully fledged teenager and now as an adult (even though I still feel like a teen most days).

One of my earliest memories of shopping is heading to Tammy Girl – here I would plead with my mum to buy me a variety of ‘babe’ crop tops and baggy jeans that hung off the hips I was yet to have. Another memory is buying my first Topshop floral mini dress and believing I had reached peak adulthood. Little did I know this was in fact having to buy your own kettle and toaster. Growing up with a mum who has always loved clothes meant that shopping was, and is, a hobby I’ve enjoyed for many years.

I loved the whole shopping experience so much that I wanted to work in retail. I had a part time job at New Look throughout college and uni and I still shop the high street, although I find it different now. I’m not just talking about the endless inevitable closures that’ll see shop fronts empty, and people frantically trying to get their hands on the closing down sale bargains, as seen at Debenhams recently. The way we shop in general is different.

“I’ve always loved the high street, but it’s time for change”