I think we can all agree that Paddington’s once prosperous Oxford Street is basically like the geographical equivalent of the gloomiest come down you’ve ever had.

Depending on how full or empty your glass is, the lean foot traffic and empty shop fronts could serve either as a blatant reminder of jittery consumer confidence or just our more sensible post-GFC approach to spending. Either way, the herds have seemingly moved on and those orgiastic pre-2006 spendathons are now just stories for the grand-kids.

DashLuxe CEO Luke Watson tells a more optimistic story; one where smart flexible retail start-ups can thrive by simply offering people something different while capitalising on the more frugal marketplace. Let’s face it, people still need to buy things, it’s how they buy that’s interesting.

We chatted to Luke about fashion, business models, and starting up in tough times.

Interview: Meghan McTavish

Videography/editing: Dominic Loneragan and Parallel Productions/DL Photography

Photos by Dom on Nikon D4