Shop Assistant Banned From Wearing Poppy

A shop assistant's been banned from wearing a poppy to work because "it's not part of her uniform''.

Harriet Phipps, 18, who works as a "model'' at the Hollister store in Southampton, Hampshire, was told to remove the poppy last week.

She said her job required her to wear clothes from the shop to provide customers with an impression of how they look.

But when Miss Phipps, who moved from Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire, to work at the store, wore the poppy she was told by the manager to remove it.

She said:

"I think it's disgusting, I think it's awful.

"I feel it's very important, it is only for two weeks so it's not permanent.

"It is a personal issue and I feel very strongly about it - I have a friend who is serving in Afghanistan and another friend, a girl, who is going out to fight there, as well as my granddad who fought in the war.''

Miss Phipps said that she was first told to remove the poppy last Thursday and was told to remove it a second time today when she continued to flout the ban.

She said:

"They said that because it's not uniform or company policy, I am not allowed to wear it.

"I'm what is known as a model, we have to wear a uniform key look - we get a selection of clothes which we have to buy and wear to work.

"We provide an image of what the clothes would look like for the customers and because the poppy is not uniform I was told I should not wear it.''

A member of management at the store declined to comment.

Hollister is part of the Abercrombie & Fitch group which is infamous for its strict staff dress code.