Something
that we’ve asked a lot of brands and stores about since we started the magazine
is the crossover between everyday and outdoor clothing. This was perhaps more
relevant than most when we put the question to Dan from Urban Industry,
who recently took the decision to expand the range of outdoor brands available
at his Eastbourne based store. To find out why he’s deciding to do this, and
learn more about this ace store, we sent some questions over.
When
was Urban Industry founded? Could you explain a bit about the background of the
store?
We
opened the store in November 2002 in a back street of Eastbourne. I’d been
working for a web design agency and had been made redundant and my girlfriend
at the time had hated her job, so we just decided to try and make a go of a
store. I had my own brand called Dirty habit which was based in the Mountain
Biking market, so we thought we could run that from the store too.
What
brands did you stock initially?
We
opened with a handful of brands like Dickies, Addict, Mooks, Alphanumeric and
other kinds of skate cross over brands. These brands were based in the ‘counter
culture’ as you probably could have called it back then, hip hop, graffiti, skating
etc and nowadays you’d just hang the word ‘streetwear’ over it. My background had been BMX’ing, but I’d
always worn the brands of the skateboarders we hung out with, so the store
followed my tastes.
You
mentioned to us that the store is going to shift to be more outdoor focused -
do you feel there is a crossover now between everyday and outdoor wear?
Sort
of yes. It’s been a fun and interesting few seasons as trends have led us to
outdoor brands like Patagonia, Arcteryx, The North Face etc. For me it’s a
fresh chance to put a stake in the ground for what Urban Industry is and stands
by. Brands like these make clothing that actually works in terms of durability
and functionality, they stand the test of time and they look cool! We’ve been
in business almost 17 years and we’ve gone in and around trends, but we’ve
always kept to the streetwear vibe, hopefully interesting independent brands
with a big dose of the best of the big brands like Nike and adidas. We want to
present the store as somewhere where you can purchase a cool pair of sneakers
but also a jacket fit for purpose that would work up a mountain as much as it
does on the street. Functional fashion that is made for daily use, accessible
for the most part in terms of cost too. We’re not chasing the high fashion
route of a nylon shell jacket for 300-400 quid whatever, even for fashion
what’s the point if it doesn’t keep you dry? A logo?
Where
did your passion for Outdoor tech come from?
When I was younger, I used
to do a lot of walking on the Sussex downs with my family as we had a dog.
Holidays were always in North Wales, the Lake District or Scotland. I just seem
to have this fascination with all things military, camping and survival. A guy
called Peter Duncan who
was a Blue Peter presenter did a spin off show called ‘Duncan Dares’ and he did
this two-parter where he learnt how to survive on his own with the help of
Lofty Wiseman an SAS survival expert. I loved it! I must have watching it 50
times over the months on our family VCR.
Along
with all this I developed a ‘problem’ for outdoor jackets from brands like Lowe
Alpine, Berghaus, Mountain Equipment, I just couldn’t afford them! My bible was
a yearly catalogue from a store called ‘Survival Aids’ based in Penrith. I’d
pour over the Ventile jackets, military Bergen’s and these huge knives with
survival gadgets in the hilt. I dread to think what my parents thought I might
turn out like…
We're
big fans of your Fish Industry tees - do you plan on doing more own brand
product?
Thanks! Yes, I was really pleased with how they came
out and it’s given me the confidence to produce more own label products for
Urban Industry. I’m in the process of sourcing quality pieces and hopefully exploring
more sustainable options too as I think we need to try and add that into all
that we do from here on in where possible.
What
are the top brands for you at the moment?
At
the moment it’s the big boys like Nike, Vans and the Outdoor labels like
Patagonia and The North Face. We’re also selling staple workwear from brands
like Carhartt WIP and Dickies. We’re also seeing a good reaction when brands
like Converse hook up with Gore-Tex® and use the fabric for a classic Chuck.
The streetwear/outdoor crossover works very well indeed. I’m also looking
forward to seeing more from Nike ACG this and next year as the colour pops are
so on point.
What
plans do Urban Industry have for the future?
Keep
moving forward and developing different sections of the store as we go. As I
mentioned I want to add a sustainable element to the store, so we can give
customers the option of picking brands that are thinking about their impact on
the environment whether its traceable down, less water use, fair trade or
whatever. It’s going to be a start as I’m not naïve enough to think it will
change everything that we stock over night but it’s a start none the less.
No comments:
Post a Comment