If you ask most young people in Cirencester where they go clothes shopping, they would likely say Cheltenham or Swindon. The Standard wants to change that, which is why this week we are launching our Go Cirencester campaign to encourage people to shop in the town. To kick off, reporter Megan Archer and news editor Michael Purton went to two of Cirencester’s independent stores to show how easy it is to find a fashionable outfit here.

AS the capital of the Cotswolds, Cirencester is a popular shopping destination – but most young people from the area go elsewhere to buy their clothes.

A poll on the street quickly revealed that those who live here or in surrounding areas choose to travel to Cheltenham, Swindon or Bristol when they want a new outfit.

At the Standard we know all about the excellent independent fashion stores in the town, but it seems that a lot of young people do not and, with more students on the way as the Royal Agricultural University expands and opens new accommodation, that needs to change.

So we are launching Go Cirencester, a campaign to raise awareness of our top shops.

One such store is @TheBoutique(corr) in Black Jack Street which, as Megan found out, offers stylish and quirky clothes for modest prices, most of which are made in the UK.

Megan picked up an outfit which included a black jumper by Studio at £45, a Pia Rossini faux fur Monroe stole for £35, a Pia Rossini faux fur cuffs and faux fur headband at £16.65 each, and – for those who have been saving up – a Woodland leather jacket in taupe for £199.

Owner Emma-Jane Rowe runs the store, which opened in 2012, with assistant manager Cathy Lawrence and they are keen to entice in more young shoppers.

Cathy said: “It’s hard because when you’re younger the first point of call is the main high streets and you don’t come to independents because you think it’s expensive,” she added.

“If you can inform young people just to have a look at boutiques or Black Jack Street before you go somewhere like New Look or other chains – it’s never as expensive as you think it’s going to be.”

For on-trend men’s fashion in Cirencester, ThirtySix(CORR) is the place to go, as Michael discovered.

He found a Hilfiger Denim check shirt and Duel Denim slim jeans for £45 each, and a Hone belt – handmade in Worcestershire – for £30.

This is a great example of how ThirtySix excels in mixing big name brands with independent and unique designs.

Chris Roche, manager at the family-run store in Market Place which has been trading since the early 1990s, said an advantage of being an independent is the ability to quickly respond to customers’ preferences.

He added: “We can’t compete with Cheltenham or Swindon in terms of size but we can play to our strength of having a really good core of independent clothes shops with expertise which you can’t find in a chain store.

“A good example is a Penfield jacket we had and we were one of only three stores that had it nationally. It was very popular with dog walkers, which we have a lot of in Cirencester, and it sold out quickly.”

To be featured in our Go Cirencester campaign, call the newsroom on 01285 627322.