Welcome to ThisIsRetail, your weekly look at some of the more diverse and unexpected stuff influencing the way we buy, sell and consume in the 21st century.

We're not a news feed, nor are we algorithm-powered content aggregator. No, we prefer to painstakingly hand-pick the innovative, the new, the stimulating, and the provocative. Expect diverse and, sometimes, esoteric features on culture, politics, travel, art, music, literature, and technology - plus anything else we find intriguing - so long as it's on a collision-course with consumerism.

So why are we doing this? Well, amid the doom and gloom that clouds the sector, we want to shine a light on some of good stuff going on. We're optimistic for the future of retail, but it's up to us all to seize the opportunities it presents.

This week we're waving our flag for Reggae's love affair with Clarks, Uzbek electonica, and, as Pride Month ends, we find out what happens to all that rainbow merch once the party's over.

Let's get going!