That fashion feeling

CHECKERS' UNIQ: MERCHANDISING IS REMINISCENT OF STUTTAFORDS

- Hein Kaiser

It wasn't love at first sight. It was love at first touch. And it took more than 18 months of courtship to get there. Window-shopping finally got me over the threshold.

Uniq is the Checkers answer to fashion retail and once you've been in the store and given it a test run, you may become a convert for life.

It's a no-hype, basic fashion store that's simple and unpretentious. It's not cheap, it's not expensive, it's somewhere in the comfortable Goldilocks price range and best of all, it doesn't feel like a grocery store brand extension at all. The merchandising is reminiscent of Stuttafords.

Looks aside, the moment I fell in love with the place is when I touched the fabrics. At the risk of looking like a bit of a naughty, walking around the store and just feeling the fabrics can be very satisfying.

Only, it makes you want to buy. And the haul I went home with, despite credit card pain, has been worth it.

So far nothing's lost shape and the stitching is intact.

Good news is that most of the clothes are also made in the Southern African Development Community.