Word on the street: Camden
Our presenters Ashlie and Stephen are on a mission to find the perfect birthday present for their mum in London’s Camden Market.
Camden is known as the birthplace of punk music. Our reporter Carmen looks at the origins of punk, its influence on British fashion and how it’s evolving in the 21st century.
Camden Scene 1
"Stephen and Ashlie realise they have quite similar ideas about what their Mum would like, but Ashlie soon gets distracted from the task in hand!"
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Stephen: Here we are in Camden Lock Market. It’s a great place to go shopping and we need to buy a birthday present for our Mum. What do you think we should get her, Ash?
Ashlie: Well our Mum loves nice clothes and costume jewellery. So - I’m sure we’ll find something here.
Stephen: It's huge here, Ash. I’ll tell you what, let’s split up, see what we can find and I’ll meet you back here in one hour.
Ashlie: OK, I’ll see you back here in an hour, then.
Stephen: Oh, Ash – can you lend me 50 quid?
Ashlie: 50 quid, eh?
Stephen: Don’t worry, you’ll get it back!
Ashlie: That should do it.
Stephen: Thank you.
Ashlie: OK, I’ll see you back here later.
Stephen: See you!
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Stephen: Wow, look at these! I’ve never seen one of these before. How much are these?
Shopkeeper: Five pound each.
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Ashlie: Excuse me. Do you have this in another colour?
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Stephen: Hiya – how’s it going?
Shopkeeper: Hi, very well. How are you?
Stephen: Good, thanks.
Stephen: I like these, how much are they?
Shopkeeper: Er, the leaf lights – they are £21.95.
Stephen: Hmm, I’m not sure she’ll like them. Can you help me? I’m looking for a birthday present for my mum. Any ideas?
Shopkeeper: What type of thing does she like?
Stephen: Well, she’s quite stylish – modern, I suppose.
Shopkeeper: Well, the yin yang’s really modern. What do you think of that?
Stephen: Hmm. What about that one over there?
Shopkeeper: Ah, the ball lights – lovely – it’s fifty pounds.
Stephen: Oh.
Shopkeeper: How about... forty, seeing as it’s your mother’s birthday?
Stephen: Twenty?
Shopkeeper: Twenty? That’s really cheap. How about I meet you halfway – twenty-five?
Stephen: Great, thanks mate. My Mum’s going to love this.
Shopkeeper: You’re welcome.
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Ashlie: Aah - I'm running out of time…
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Ashlie: Excuse me, how much is this?
Shopkeeper: Er, that’s fifty pounds.
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Stephen: So? How did you get on?
Ashlie: Pretty good, I guess. I bought this fantastic candle holder. It was a little bit expensive, but I think Mum will love it. In fact I almost bought one for myself!
Stephen: Yeah… great – and look what I found!
Ashlie: Well, that is just crazy – how did we end up buying the same candle holder in this huge market??!
Stephen: I’ll tell you what we’ll do. You take this one. You said you almost bought one for yourself - and you lent me fifty pounds, right?
Ashlie: Right.
Stephen: So you take this one, I’ll get lunch and we’ll call it quits! Come on – it’s time to get something to eat. Lunch is on me, remember. Come on!
Camden Scene 2
Ashlie and Stephen need to finish their shopping. Ashlie drags Stephen into a shoe shop and they look at some amazing clothes."
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Ashlie: Well, thanks for that Stephen. That was a great lunch.
Stephen: Ah – you’re welcome. My pleasure! Now come on, we’ve got to get a move on.
Ashlie: Oh, wait a minute. They’re nice.
Stephen: Which ones? Those boots?
Ashlie: No, the shoes at the back - the black ones. Let’s go in and have a look.
Stephen: What size are they? Why don’t you try them on and see if they fit?
Ashlie: Excuse me. Can I try these on, please? Have you got them in a size 6?
Shop assistant: Yes, sure.
Ashlie: Thanks.
Ashlie: Oh wait, they’ve got them in green, too. Maybe they’re nicer. What do you think?
Stephen: Why don’t you try them both on?
Ashlie: Sorry, can I try them both on, please? The green and the black in a size 6.
Shop assistant: OK.
Ashlie: Thanks.
Stephen: Let’s sit down. Shoe shops make me tired.
Ashlie: So, which ones do you prefer? Do you prefer the black ones or the green ones?
Stephen: They’re both nice.
Ashlie: But tell me which ones you like the best.
Stephen: Erm... OK then, the green ones.
Ashlie: Well, what’s wrong with the black ones?
Stephen: Nothing’s wrong with the black ones. I said they’re both nice.
Ashlie: I think I prefer the black ones.
Stephen: OK then, if I say I prefer the black ones, can we just buy them and get out of here?
Ashlie: Yeah, I think I’ll get the black ones. Unless you prefer the green ones?
Stephen: Aaaargh! Come on!
Ashlie: OK, I’ll take the black ones please.
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Stephen: OK, I’ll see you later, then.
Ashlie: OK, I’m going this way. See you!
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Ashlie: Hi there. Wow, such amazing clothes. Oh, this is nice. Can I try this on in a smaller size, please?
Shop assistant: Yes, certainly.
Ashlie: Great, thank you.
Shop assistant: The changing rooms are just over there.
Ashlie: This is wonderful. How much is it?
Shop assistant: That one’s 110 pounds.
Ashlie: It is beautiful but… I’m not sure.
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Stephen: Oh my gosh! Ashley!? What happened to you?
Ashlie: Oh, hiya Stephen. Well, I decided to change my image. What do you think?
Stephen: Well, don’t let Mum see you like that - it's her birthday party tonight.
Ashlie: Don't worry, I'll change first. Are you ready for home?
Stephen: Yes, let's get out of here. Everybody’s looking at you!
Camden Fashion
"Camden Town is a world-renowned place to shop for alternative clothing. Carmen goes there to find out more about its history and what's fashionable now."
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Presented by Carmen:
Camden Market is made up of many different markets. The first market was called Camden Lock because it was next to the canal. It first opened in 1972 and is now one of the largest markets in the UK.
Half a million people visit Camden market each week. And with hundreds of stalls, there’s something for everyone. But Camden is best known for fashion and famous for punk.
Everyone knows what punk fashion is but 30 years ago it didn’t even exist. Clothes like this seem quite normal now. In the 1970’s it shocked many people because it had never been seen before.
Punks were young people who were anti-government, anti-popular music and anti-fashion. Punk music was loud, wild and about breaking all the rules. Punk style was the same.
Punks created their own cheap fashion with torn clothes, safety pins and spiky hair.
Punk fashion is still here today and it’s still about rejecting ordinary fashion and standing out, but there are lots of ways of looking different.
Camden isn’t the only place for fashion. London Fashion Week, held twice a year, is a great place to see clothes by British designers and the latest new fashion trends.
British fashion is very important; creatively, it’s very important all around the world. Lots of the kind of fashion trends that you and I end up wearing started out on the catwalks in London.
British fashion is different from the fashion that comes from different countries around the world. Often the shape of the clothes is a bit more aggressive - maybe a bit sharper and we try to come up with looks that are a bit more imaginative so possibly they’re less wearable, less classic clothing, but always very exciting.
Back in Camden there are still many other fashion trends. People mix different ideas and create new looks. Another style that really stands out is Cyber-Goth.
So this is one of Europe’s biggest Cyber-Goth shops. What’s a Cyber-Goth? Take a look at these.
Carmen: So Jack, what exactly is a Cyber-Goth?
Jack: A Cyber-Goth is someone that doesn’t think about what other people think about them. And it’s someone with a very strong fashion sense. It’s kind of a mixture of varied stuff; like punk, Goth and American surfing scene.
Carmen: So, talk me through the influences of your look, the hair?
Jack: Well, my hair is a really, really lovely creation I think. It takes everything from the punk style like colourful stuff - really standing out.
Carmen: The t-shirt?
Jack: My t-shirt is a Cyber-Goth futuristic style. It’s an exo-tubes top - which means like, it shows the inside of my body.
Carmen: The trousers?
Jack: I really like the American surfing scene - I’m really into that. So I wanted something to remind me of that so I chose these really, really baggy trousers.
Carmen: And finally the belt?
Jack: Twenty-first century.
So punk maybe thirty years old but here in Camden it’s constantly evolving in the twenty first century.