Claire’s Accessories was founded in America in 1961 and entered the UK market in 1996/7. 90s kids will vividly remember how grown-up they felt as they walked through the doors of the shop. It was overstimulating; it was everything. They sold plushies, friendship bracelets (even in threes!), questionable spiky rubber earrings, fingerless gloves, chalky makeup palettes with zero pigment… if it was a dodgy millennial trend, they sold it. 

We lapped it up, begging our parents to splurge a couple of quid on us because we were worth it. After all, Becky might not be my friend any more if I don’t have the latest fluffy notebook and pen, right? Where else would we write down our secrets and song lyrics we’d tirelessly made up ourselves over the phone after school? Nobody’s parents wanted to be responsible for that kind of social disgrace.

I remember going to my local shopping centre with my mum as a kid and mithering her to pop in “just for a look”. Earrings were usually on some sort of deal, so I ended up piling them high, and my mum begrudgingly paid the bill because when you’re sans job because you’re a child, that’s just what happens.

So many of us even got our ears pierced at Claire’s, me included. Let’s be honest, those girls working there didn’t have a bloody clue what they were doing. They penned a precarious black dot on thousands of kids’ ears and went in with a piercing gun – and I’m pretty sure mine never fully healed!

But, dodgy piercings aside, it’s genuinely so sad that Claire’s Accessories is struggling. Hundreds of stores closed in 2025 – and even more are set to be banished from the high street this year. It immediately begs the question: Where are pre-teens meant to shop?

The second I went to high school, Claire’s Accessories was no longer cool. We were (very aspirationally) hanging around Selfridges in the Trafford Centre, spending our £20 money that was meant for lunch on Mac lipsticks and Lush bath bombs. We’d bat our eyelashes at retail workers for free samples of perfume we never intended to buy, before heading to Juicy Couture to try on their brand new tracksuits. Then, it was time to take 500 selfies with digital cameras in the changing rooms before uploading them all onto Facebook.

This ritual seems like it’s been lost in time – and it’s not my only worry. The closure of Claire’s means primary school girls will have nowhere to shop, forcing them to aspire to be older at far too young an age.

We already know that so many under-10s are using skincare products when it’s totally unnecessary for their skin. So getting rid of Claire’s just feels like it’s pushing these little girls into shops like Sephora, way before they need to be bothering themselves with serums, ceramides, and Vitamin C products.

In a world where pricey products have become commonplace in primary school playgrounds, we’re in desperate need of a store like Claire’s. It allows kids to be kids and allows them to be silly and strange, no pressure, just like we were, just for a little bit longer.

We’re adults for such a long part of our lives, and there are so many different pressures on adult women to look and act a certain way, so let’s try and shield our young girls from this as much as possible. Yes, let’s allow little ones to play with makeup, because they want to be like their mummy. But Drunk Elephant bronzing drops for a five-year-old? No, they need to stick to their Lip Smackers!

This is before even mentioning how much money parents must be needlessly spending on their primary school-age children on products they categorically do not need. A woman’s skin does not start to visibly age at the earliest when they are 30, and 10 years old is far too early to be using ‘preventative’ skincare.

Certified Laser Technician and Skincare Expert Sam Rock from Infinity Laser Spa has warned that many teens and preteens are applying potent anti-ageing creams, acids, and exfoliants designed for adult skin. Dermatologists warn that this can cause irritation, sensitivity, and even exacerbate acne or dryness. Simple routines, gentle cleansing, hydration, and sun protection are often more than sufficient at this age.

“Parents and teens should focus on building foundational habits rather than chasing the latest viral product. Safe, gentle routines instil lifelong healthy habits while avoiding unnecessary risks. Social media can inspire curiosity, but guidance from trained professionals ensures that enthusiasm doesn’t come at the expense of skin health,” they said.

With that being said, I really hope that somehow Claire’s manages to pull through. I believe that girls these days deserve a little bit of the innocence we managed to have as pre-teens.

With hashtags trending on social media like #teenskincare, there’s no wonder they’re all being influenced into 10-step routines they don’t need. As adults, it’s hard enough to resist. But I really hope a less high-pressure environment of tacky body glitter for parties and bright coloured wash-out hair spray can return.

I’ll never forget my mum buying a dress for one of my friend’s parties in primary school from Tammy Girl, and her slathering on body glitter from Claire’s all over my collarbone and the tops of my shoulders. I really thought I was giving fairy – and do you know what? I really was.

I want the next generation of little girls to experience the magic of growing up slowly as we did. Part of this was definitely having a store that didn’t force us to be babies, but also didn’t make us grow up too quickly. The perfect interim between being a teenager and a young child. Long live Claire’s Accessories.