Wear & Dispose

Of all the nasty habits that I used to have as a kid, my mum would chastise me the most for wiping my nose in my snotty sleeve. "For heaven's sake, use a tissue," she'd say in disgust. That was clearly in the pre-Primark age - the one that we're finally leaving behind next week.

Growing up post-Primark, she'd most likely just throw away the sweater or, if feeling thrifty, turn it into a t-shirt with two quick scissor snips - and then bin it. Yes, it's really that cheap, and we finally get our first Barcelona outlet next Tuesday, when the Irish retailer opens in Diagonal Mar.

There you'll have over 2,000 square meters of three-euro shirts, six-euro jeans and other garments priced to make Zara and H&M look exorbitantly expensive. Faster, and even less scrupulous, than Inditex at copying fashion designs, it's been a runaway (and throwaway) success everywhere it's opened.

It may be affectionately known as Pri-marni among fashionistas, but to me it's rather more Chinese buffet than Armani: it'll fill you up cheaply, leave you hungry soon again, and, as Fair Trade activists will attest, it's best not to think about why it's so cheap.

Primark Barcelona opens Tuesday June 9
Centro Comercial Diagonal Mar

by AAL