The iconic Newcastle clothes shop Geordie Jeans that is gone but still loved

Geordie Jeans was a clothing shop in the North East which you guessed it - sold jeans. However, they also sold various other fashion items. The  brand was founded in 1978 in South Shields and opened ten stores across the North East, including in South Shields’ King Street and Newcastle’s Grainger Street.

Sadly the factory that made the jeans closed in 1999, along with various stores. South Shields’ King Street was the last store left, until it eventually had to close  in 2004.

A Facebook page was set up called Geordie Jeans, and amassed 1.7K followers, with a bio that read: “This is for everyone who loved Geordie Jeans”. On their page, they keep the Geordie Jeans memory alive by posting old photos of the logo design (which was a character with a flat cap and jeans), old carrier bags from the store and old store fronts. The Facebook page is managed by the son of one of the founders and the nephew of the owner.

We asked the people of Newcastle to share their fond memories of the store, and were met with a huge response from those happy to reminisce on the store’s glory days. Many of the responses pointed out that Geordie Jeans were incredibly inclusive and way ahead of their time.

One woman said that the reason she loved their jeans so much was because they sold clothes in sizes that no-one else did in between sizes such as 11, 13 and 15. Another person said that they also made custom jeans for those who found it difficult to shop for their size.

Speaking of the fashion, many people responded with the memory of jeans with red piping down one side, and how they were the hottest trend of the time. “You just had to have them!” one person said. While another remembered loving the jeans that had zips on the pockets - something that felt incredibly futuristic to her at the time.

While many women who worked in the factory that made the jeans came forward to tell us what an amazing time they had working there. One woman said: “I wish I could rewind time and go back. We didn’t have a care in the world then. What a laugh we had.”