There are not many streetwear stores that command the kind of fanatical following enjoyed by Manchester’s Oi Polloi. When co-founder Nigel Lawson designed a pair of limited edition trainers with Adidas last year, devotees from as far afield as Russia booked flights especially to attend the first day of sales, and Brits camped out for two days to be first in line for the green suede numbers. A large part of Oi Polloi’s appeal is linked to the Manchester music scene. Ian Brown loves his Adidas sportswear, and Liam Gallagher his parkas and ponchos, and Oi Polloi is the supplier of choice.
It will be interesting to see how the quintessentially Northern operation goes down in London town; with 13 years of successful trading behind it, Oi Polloi has decided to make the move south and open a second outlet in Soho’s Marshall Street. As advertised in their new shop window, Nigel and business partner Steve Sanderson are still selling good clothes, along with trainers, jackets and what-have-you over two peg-boarded floors of loveliness. There’s no longer any excuse for southerners to continue to lag behind their northern compatriots when it comes to cool…
Courtesy, Oi Polloi London
