In menswear, the name Oi Polloi is uttered with something close to
deference. The Manchester shop has quietly come to define a certain
look, one of niche labels, discreet trainers and Japanese denim. It is
also distinctly northern. Journalist Paul Flynn,
who hails from Manchester and is a fan of the store, describes the look
as “all about the details. It’s that which Oi Polloi do so well.” Flynn
says that the Manchester look has always been “closely aligned with
music” and name checks Liam Gallagher, Ian Brown and, “the quintessential Manchester man, Bernard Sumner”.
Liam Gallagher on stage last year. Photograph: Mick Hutson/Getty Images
Oi Polloi’s
website has long shipped its look far and wide, but now London men will
benefit with the opening this month of a store in Soho. Is this the
sign of the northern-look moving down south? Will it work? David Hellqvist,
fashion features editor of Port magazine, has high hopes. “The fact
that it comes from Manchester adds to its allure,” he says, and compares
it to cult fashion department store Dover Street Market. “It’s a store,
but it’s become so much more. It represents a way of life.”
Ian Brown in 1989. Photograph: Brian Rasic/Rex Features
Oi Polloi’s esteemed place in menswear culture hasn’t happened overnight. The shop was founded in 2002 by Steve Sanderson
and Nigel Lawson, who previously worked as a hairdresser and market
stall owner respectively. They bonded over clothes that have quiet
detail, and a love of old-school trainers. Labels such as Polo Ralph
Lauren, Levi, APC
and Norse Projects are bread and butter to the Oi Polloi look and it
recently collaborated with Adidas on its own special-edition trainers.
The London store is the next step. Smaller than the one in Manchester,
it will nevertheless have the labels that the duo have championed – from
Japanese denim brand orSlow to classic Clarks Originals.
A look from Engineered Garments’ SS15 collection.
Oi Polloi also represents an independent spirit. “The triumph is that
it’s survived in a city which was decimated by the arrival of
department stores like Harvey Nichols and Selfridges,” says Flynn. “They
ended a lot of independent retailers.” He remembers a heyday in the
city until the mid-90s, when “you knew where the well-dressed men bought
their clothes”. He mentions shops including Aspecto
(streetwear), Geese (clubwear) and Richard Creme. “I remember going to
Richard Creme and seeing the Issey Miyake cardigan that Morrissey wore
to promote The Queen is Dead,” he says. “I knew he must have got it from
there too.”
Clarks Originals desert boots.
Oi Polloi has managed to keep that lineage alive and retain the
connection to its city’s stars. If, as Flynn says: “There’s no longer a
defining Manchester sound, they have kept that spirit of men who care
about clothes.”
Hellqvist believes this will guarantee the success of the London
store. “That’s what they got right,” he says. “Their customers respect
Oi Polloi as curators of their wardrobe. There’s a trust there and
that’s a concept that works really well in menswear.” Wherever you live.
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