Farewell then, Claire’s, but it’s far from a piercing loss

Much as it’s sad to see yet another high-street stalwart fall, the brand’s combination of cheap tat and overblown prices doesn’t seem especially worth mourning

- Helen Coffey

Please don’t think I’m dancing on Claire’s Accessories’ grave – far be it from me to crow over anyone’s demise – but when I heard the news that the chain had fallen into administration, I did allow myself the tiniest smirk of schadenfreude.

Claire’s has said that all outlets will continue trading while it considers “the best possible path forward”; its appointed administrators from Interpath reported that they will “assess options for the company”, which could include selling the business to “secure a future for this well-loved brand”.

Ah, the “well-loved brand” that is Claire’s. I’d say it’s been a high-street stalwart for as long as I can remember, but the reality is that the US retailer only hit British shores in 1997. Being 10 at the time, I was the perfect age to appreciate its stock of gaudy jewellery, sparkly plastic butterfly clips and decorated headbands aimed at aspirational tweenage girls.

Back then, this was a unique proposition. Along with Tammy Girl, which flogged a pitch-perfect collection of tween and early-teen fashions in the Nineties and Noughties, Claire’s was catering for a market that had previously been criminally ignored and underserved: girls devouring copies of Mizz magazine and clamouring to be “stylish”.