As the Lionesses prepare to achieve greatness in the World Cup Final against Spain this Sunday, they will no doubt be aware that the formula to a winning team involves close relationships on the pitch. Luckily for this team, they’re all known for being very close friends – and one Lioness has revealed she has spent the tournament cementing their friendships by weaving bracelets – mouse click the next web page backtoglamour.com – for her teammates. She revealed Jess Carter asked for a purple and white bracelet. But regardless of the kit they’re wearing, eagle-eyed fans may well be able to spot a few colourful friendship bracelets on the wrists of their favourite Lionesses as they make their bid to bring football home. In different clips filmed across the last four weeks, Esme weaves the bracelets in all different locations – including on tour buses and on planes taking the squad between matches. Sarina Wiegman’s side will however wear white socks, with Spain in their home kit, which has dark blue shorts, meaning England’s home kit, which has dark blue shorts too, would clash. Lioness Esme Morgan has filmed a TikTok video of herself giving out friendship bracelets to her fellow teammates during the World Cup (left: Alessia Russo. She then explains what each Lioness asked for in their bracelet; including that Alex Greenwood wanted blue, Alessia Russo wanted blue, pink and white, and Ella Toone wanted a ‘nice bright one’ – after seeing Russo’s and feeling left out. Esme explains in the video that there is an arts and crafts area at the Women’s World Cup 2023 base camp, where she was keen to get involved in making the bracelets. She says: ‘Soon enough, the requests from my teammates started flooding in, so I set to work. As she receives the gift in the video, Carter exclaims: ‘This is a moment! Fellow Lioness Lauren Hemp is also featured in the video – learning how to make her own friendship bracelet while on a flight. It is England’s first ever Women’s World Cup Final – and after the Lionesses thumped host nation Australia 3-1 in the semi final, they are pumped and ready for the challenge. It was confirmed earlier today that the Lionesses has been drawn as ‘Team B’, and will thus wear the blue strip they beat Australia in to reach the final on Wednesday. The Sheffield-born defender, 22, who plays at club level for Manchester City, posted a video on TikTok of herself weaving the friendship bracelets with different coloured threads throughout the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. The Lionesses are preparing to face the Red Fury when they go head-to-head in the World Cup Final with Spain on Sunday afternoon. She then films shots of herself giving the bracelets to her Lioness teammates, who all look thrilled to receive their gift. Nice one Hempo, I’m very proud,’ Esme says, Facebook (www.facebook.com) while giving her teammate the thumbs up.
During their heyday in the early noughties, celebrities and fashion icons flocked to be a part of the retail leviathan – owned by Sir Philip Green. At its high, Topshop seemed a true titan of the British high street, raking in £100million in profit, with hundreds of stores spread across almost every large town and city in the UK. But the store’s popularity waned as it struggled to compete with fast fashion online, losing its younger shoppers to aggressive digital e-tailers like Boohoo and PrettyLittleThing. And sales slumped 4.5 per cent from £1.8billion. Supermodel Kate Moss even launched her own Topshop range in 2007. She went on to do 14 collaborations with the company. In 2018, former owners Arcadia revealed it was haemorrhaging cash, reporting a £93.4million pre-tax loss compared with £164.6million profit in the year before. As well as the financial woes, there was also the problem of image with Sir Philip Green himself. Retail experts, including Topshop’s former brand director, pointed at how the BHS pension scandal and accusations of sexual harassment tabled at Sir Philip – which he denied – had tarnished the brand, putting off female and Gen Z shoppers. Topshop lost its younger shoppers to aggressive digital e-tailers like Boohoo and PrettyLittleThing. With its trendy clothes, sell-out designer collaborations and 100,000 sq ft Oxford Street flagship store, Topshop attracted everyone from tourists and teenagers to ‘It Girls’ and fashion editors in its heyday. British supermodel Cara Delevingne was the face of Topshop’s a/w 2014 campaign. Attracting the ‘It Girls’ of the day, British supermodel-turned-actress Cara Delevingne was even the face of Topshop’s a/w 2014 campaign.
The move spelled the end of the shop’s physical presence on the high street.
Then, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Arcadia was forced to shut 550 stores and furlough 14,500 employees. Meanwhile Top Shop was booming. Its next major image revamp came in the 1990s, the same decade that the Oxford Street flagship opened in its current location. Under the stewardship of Jane Shepherdson CBE, who was Topshop brand manager from 1999 to 2006, the brand went from teen clothing store to a serious fashion brand with industry clout. It was a time when we were trying to prove Topshop had its own design credibility compared to a cheap high street retailer that used to copy everyone else,’ Shepherdson told the Evening Standard. The move spelled the end of the shop’s physical presence on the high street. Under the leadership of buyer Diane Wadey, Top Shop stocked styles by young British designers including Royal College of Art graduate Jane Whiteside, Jeff Cooper and Ronnie Stirling. Meanwhile its Top Shop offering was booming. Peter Robinson had spotted a growing need for fashion made specifically for teenage girls who wanted to embrace modern design. The move cemented its place as a brand worthy of the coolest names in British fashion, with It Girls including Zoe Ball, Sara Cox, Donna Air and Jemima Khan sitting front row. Topshop started life in 1964 as the ‘Top Shop’ concession within the now defunct Peter Robinson department store in Sheffield. The company had spotted a growing need for fashion made specifically for teenage girls who wanted to embrace modern, forward-thinking design. But by 1974, Peter Robinson, which had been a mainstay of British retail since the 1830s, was floundering and reduced its 22 branches to just six. ASOS acquired Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT from the administrators of Arcadia, two months after the struggling group collapsed with a £750million deficit. By 2021, all Topshop stores had closed after the brand was bought by online behemoth ASOS in a £295million deal. Within two years, Top Shop had 55 standalone branches and was reporting annual profits of £1million. By 1974, Peter Robinson, which had been a mainstay of British retail since the 1830s, was floundering and reduced its 22 branches to just six. Topshop started life in 1964 as the ‘Top Shop’ concession within the now defunct Peter Robinson department store in Sheffield. In 2001, Topshop launched its own label, Topshop Unique, and in 2005 became the first high street label to show at London Fashion Week. The idea was a success and a concession in the Oxford Street branch of Peter Robinson soon followed, marking the start of the brand’s decades-long presence in the West End.
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In 2005, Topshop became the first high street label to show at London Fashion Week, left. However, during the 10 years that followed, Topshop’s shine has started to fade. The Kate Moss collaboration cemented the Topshop brand and allowed it to expand worldwide piggybacking off the name of the world’s most famous supermodel,’ noted pop culture commentator Nick Ede. Mr Ede added: ‘These iconic collaborations were the top of their game. Shepherdson added: ‘We wanted to make it everything that a young girl wanted from a fashion store and for it to feel like a real luxury, special experience. In 2005 Topshop reported profits of £100million. In 2009, Topshop arrived in the US, with Kate Moss and Sir Philip jetting to New York for the launch that saw shoppers queue up around the block. After Shepherdson’s departure came another great Topshop milestone: the first Topshop x Kate Moss collaboration. Other high profile designer collaborators include Mary Katrantzou, Richard Nicoll, Jonathan Saunders and Meadham Kirchhoff. At the same time, Shepherdson focused on collaborations with young British designers like Christopher Kane, and turned the Oxford Street store into a must-visit destination for schoolgirls, tourists and fashionistas alike. The supermodel would go on to produce 14 collections with the retailer up until 2014, with each one selling out within hours. The 2007 release was a hit with shoppers and graced the pages of fashion magazines.