Enjoy the art of shopping in Chichester

Chichester’s Rare Brand Market explores The Art Of Shopping in a new summer event at Chichester’s Pallant House Gallery.
Emma SchwarzEmma Schwarz
Emma Schwarz

Organiser Emma Schwarz is aiming to put the fun and sociability back into shopping, she says, in an era when shopping so often is nothing more than ‘click, click, click’ on the internet. Emma is gathering together ten to 15 of her rare brands, outlets and producers that you just won’t find on the high street, for an early-summer chance to get your summer wardrobe together.

The event is a fundraiser for The Haven Breast Cancer Support Centres (www.thehaven.org.uk).

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“They are opening a new branch on the Hampshire border that will service Chichester, too,” Emma says. “The event will be a shopping evening at Pallant House Gallery, with wonderful food and a talk from a fashion stylist.”

Emma SchwarzEmma Schwarz
Emma Schwarz

“The Haven has been around since the middle to late 90s, and for a long time they tended to be London/Surrey. Now they are branching out. There is a big gap in the NHS. You have your chemo and your radiotherapy, and then you are left to rebuild your life. The lady that founded the charity found this big gap in terms of the support you need post breast cancer. These are places where you can get nutritional advice, wig advice, yoga advice, all sorts of advice about building yourself back up again.”

Emma’s sister, who lives in Sydney, has just been through breast cancer: “The treatment finished two weeks ago, and this is the kind of support she needs. My mother was very lucky. She had breast cancer at 41 and got through it. But once again, she could have benefitted from this kind of support.”

As for the event itself. on June 4 from 6pm, Emma says shopping really is an art: “That’s my whole mantra for shopping, that it is something that should be pleasurable. Clicking on the internet has really stripped it of much of the fun. For me the idea of shopping is taking in the culture, being sociable with friends, enjoying their company and time together, stopping for good food, having a break, chatting. There is definitely an art to it!”

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Emma concedes the 
internet has made it much easier to shop around for a good price, but the point is that it misses out on so much more.

Tickets from www.therarebrandmarket.co.uk. One of the ticket options includes a meal. All tickets include a look at Pallant House Gallery’s Stanley Spencer exhibition.