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Her West End: The Experience of Women in London’s West End Department Stores, 1900 to 1980
First and second supervisors
Abstract
This thesis aims to explore the experience of women in London’s West End department stores from 1900 to 1980.
The beginning of this era witnessed the development and expansion of major London stores. Engaging with key sites such as Harrods, Selfridges and Whiteleys, my dissertation explores how these were designed to transform the retail world and revolutionise the shopping experience. Particularly for women, the stores provided social spaces and employment opportunities.
As female clients became the most valuable consumers of department stores, female employees were increased to serve the rising clientele. As a result, a new form of cross-class interaction occurred between the client and the shopgirl. Acknowledging the interaction between social groups and the working and living conditions of shopgirls will highlight the problematic nature of tying consumerism with acts of equality.
Furthermore, by the 1960s, new clients emerged in the West End department stores. Women from the GCC regularly visited London and its major attractions. They engaged in conspicuous consumption and years later, Harrods became the most sought out brand for them. This dissertation aims to grasp the complexity of this new client and questions her impact in transforming its architectural spaces and employment practices in the heart of a globalising city.
Biography
Fawzeyah Alsabah is an architect pursuing an MPhil/PhD at the Bartlett School of Architecture. She obtained her master’s degree in architecture history from the same institution and her bachelor’s degree in architecture from Kuwait University. Her research interests lie in transdisciplinary studies, particularly in the intersection of feminist, socio-cultural, architectural and urban studies.
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Image: Photo by Fawzeyah Alsabah