Citizen shoppers: the new face of political protest

If there's one thing my generation knows how to do, it is shop. Until recently, Topshop was the fashion brand that defined generation Y, with its modestly priced on-trend ranges, constantly updating collections and collaboration with Kate Moss, the ultimate bad girl of the Noughties. In my career as a Topshop fashion victim I've walked out of the store with faux fur scarves and lacy jumpers — but last weekend was the first time I've left with a police bust card.

A wave of protests has broken out in Topshop stores around the country as the young realise there's more to rebel spirit than the latest leather miniskirt.

Over the past month, in an audacious reversal of cultural norms, Topshop's target market has made the market its target. The shop has become the focus of activist group, UK Uncut, which has staged a series of high profile sit-ins at stores around the country. Last weekend, the biggest shopping Saturday of the year, Topshop's flagship store in Oxford Circus was closed for the third time by a flashmob of "citizen volunteers" who had mobilised via networks developed on Facebook and Twitter.

I first heard about the protests via an email sent anonymously to my account, and determined to go down and report on this new movement. So on Saturday I shuffled through the double doors into the largest clothes shop on the planet.
It was impossible to tell, amid the blaring pop music and glittering displays, who were the protesters and who were the purchasing public. Like me, many would normally shop in Topshop.

But the store that once represented the edgy individualist cool of the past decade is fast becoming known for corporate greed. The mob was there to demonstrate against the £285 million in corporate tax that the store's controlling company, Arcadia, owned by Sir Philip Green, has avoided paying to the Exchequer by exploiting a legal loophole.

I spoke to strikingly beautiful model Eleanor Haskins-Griffiths. "It's hard to maintain the fun and beauty of fashion when it comes from corporations that deplete the beauty of society by avoiding taxes," she says. Like other young protesters, Eleanor is sick of being treated like a customer first and a citizen second. "Fashion might be disposable but our futures aren't," she says.

Over the decade in which Topshop has conquered the globe with its affordable fashions, the spirit of youth has come to be understood simply as something to be exploited for gain. Almost a hundred thousand young people were expected through the doors of Topshop last Saturday, and stopping the tills ringing for even an hour will have cost thousands. Far more damaging, however, will be the tarnishing of Topshop's "cool" reputation.

According to Naomi Klein, author of bestseller No Logo: "It was a stroke of genius to make tax avoiding mega-brands the focus of the anti-cuts protests — it is such a powerful rebuttal of the Thatcherite claim that there is no alternative to cuts. By following the money, these protests are showing that the reason governments are broke is that multinational corporations have hoarded far more than their share of the wealth. I don't think I've ever seen such an effective use of brand-based activism."

The protests demonstrate the impact of people power, says Julia Wild, managing director of Iconic Brand Agency Ltd. "This highlights the power a handful of protesters can have on a brand these days, thanks to the incredible influence of social networking sites. With lightning speed, a few passionate individuals who feel incensed about an issue can motivate an army of like-minded people to join their cause."

The protesters argue that Topshop is not the only target. "It's not just about the tax avoidance," says Neil, 26, a spokesman for UK Uncut. "Topshop is representative of a kind of consumer culture that this generation is increasingly rebelling against. We're sick of it and we can see through it."