If you didnt know anything about I Love Ugly, it could all be summed up in one phrase “we believe the details are not the details they are the design” Everything about ILU is thought through to the smallest of details. With beautiful detailing on the cuffs and sleeves of their shirts, through to the tongue in cheek (or maybe not) Stay Faithful stitched into the fly of their jeans. Their range is ever expanding from their original tee designs, to shirts and the now famous Zespy Pant.  The range now covers beautiful jackets and suits to completely clothe the ILU Man. The thing I have always liked about ILU is that isnt just for a youth market, but rather the label can be worn by anyone wanting sharp, simple and well made clothing. You have as much chance of seeing a 50-year-old man in the store as you do a hip twenty-something.

That attention to detail extends to the shop fit out.  And much as I love the clothing detail, I love the shop fit out as well. They wanted to created a New York Loft- style space according to co-owner Valentin Ozich with polished concrete floors, old exposed wooden support beams and walls lined with re-cycled metal. The palate is a discreet deep brown/black. They have left parts of the original old building exposed instead of simply painting over everything, letting the patina of the building speak for itself. Shelves around the space are filled with iconic items, comics, Snoopy, old cars, etc.  With the space changing constantly – clothing drops come through every six weeks, the space easily absorbs the change. With the extra fittings made in a factory in Vietnam from old sewing machine parts, to their specifications, the foozeball table and benches fit perfectly into their well thought out scheme. Again, that beautiful attention to detail…

Their flagship store can be found  at 2-8 Osbourne St Newmarket. This is to be their last New Zealand store before they push out to the wider world, maybe the US or Australia? Where ever it is, they will continue to hold tight to their production practices, close to the needs of their clients and always paying attention to the detail…

Photographs by Michelle Weir