Wanderland Boutique

Pop up stores are all the rage these days and have been a firm favourite with fashion brands since 2004. The concept is just like a moving exhibition; find a venue, set up shop, display items artfully and then set off to the next venue. Smaller niche companies have all been there and done that with pop ups placed in cosmopolitan cities in Europe. So it was no surprise when large lifestyle brands such as Comme des Garçons, MTV, Nike, Sony Ericsson, Adidas and Levis decided to give the idea a try. However, beating them to the punch was Wanderland Boutique, a wandering pop up boutique that has been created out of a love for fashion and all things that a little bit different. The brand has been trading since 2003 but have now launched a shop in Manchester at the ultra trendy Afflecks Palace and are set to tour other cities such as Leeds, Birmingham, Sheffield, Derby, Doncaster, Birmingham and Dublin. I met up with founder, Barbara Ojeogwu to find out the ins and outs of brand new, vintage and handmade clothing.

What is the concept of Wanderland Boutique?
The concept of Wanderland Boutique is to provide fashionable & one off items at great prices. We're able to do this by handpicking all of the products that go into the boutiques. We're also able to do this by reducing our overheads. The pop up boutiques are a unique and inexpensive way for us to attract new customers and provide them with clothes that would otherwise cost that bit more. The fact that we are a pop up means that we are able to set up in unlikely places such as bars, park greens and even possibly even double Decker buses.


How did you come up with the title of the shop?
The title is based on two factors. The first being that we pop up all over the UK with the boutique. The second is that we also travel far and wide to find stock for the boutique. We wander the land.

Where do you source your clothes from?
The clothes are sourced from all over the world. An example would be handbags from wholesalers in Japan and New York. Dresses from Dublin and Morocco. Shoes are made up in Manchester. We also mix this up with hot vintage finds or great pieces that friends or family have found on their wanders.

Describe to me a typical Wanderland customer?
Our typical customer wouldn't be described as the most affluent of people yet when it comes to style and creativity they're rich. These girls and ladies don't buy their style, they put it together. They're not the clones that you often see as a result of high street marketing campaigns.

What is your work background?
I actually come from an IT Background, I worked as an IT trainer for a sofware company up until December 2008.


Who are your fashion influences?
My main fashion influences are mainly my mum and sisters; between them those ladies have style. I also take a lot from what I see on the streets, whether it's fabrics, items or just how certain items are worn. It's good to try out new things and and maybe mix them up a little. Today I went to work in one of my own tops that was missing a belt so I used the velvet lace from my ballet shoes. A belt would have been too bulky and the result was good.

Are there any celebs out there who you would like to dress in Wanderland style?
Kate Nash came into my shop in the first week of opening and loved it so much that she made a second trip up the three flights of stairs to make another purchase in the same day. So I suppose you could say I already have dressed a celeb. I'd happily do the same again for Kate or Lady Gaga.

You can find Wanderland Boutique at the following venues:

Afflecks Palace
Wanderland Boutique
Afflecks
3rd Floor
Short Street
Manchester

Mon-Friday 10.30am-6pm
Saturdays 10am-6pm

Dry Bar
28-30 Oldham Street
Manchester
M1 1JN

Saturdays 12pm-6pm

More dates will be added soon!

Adidas House Party

Now we all love that T-Mobile advert with people getting down at the train station but another commercial that has grabbed my eye is the Adidas house party. The three striped brand is celebrating 60 years in the business by throwing a huge house party and inviting celebs such as David Beckham, Estelle, Russell Simmons, Kevin Garnett, Missy Elliott, Katy Perry, The Ting Tings and skate boarder Mark Gonzales. Performing at the event are Norwegian hip hop band, Madcon with their hit single, Beggin. I really love the pop cultural references in the ad such as the graffiti, kids on skate boards and also on motorbikes. The ad is directed by Nima Nourizade who has made music videoa for Lily Allen and Mark Ronson. The advantage to Adidas not being as huge as Nike is that they hold a sense of allure and individuality. This gives them a sense of coolness that Nike could never match hence their strong affiliation with hip hop. The concert where Run DMC got everyone in the crowd to wave their Adidas sneaker in the air is legendary.

Check out the prologue of the advert below where we see the celebs being invited to the jam.

This scene below is where Kevin Garnett is challenged in a card game - the break dancing scene at the end is wicked.

It does make me wonder where creative agencies will go next with their concepts, they seem to be pushing the boundaries a lot and coming up with amazing stuff like the Virgin advert that never fails to blow me away every time I see it - which I wrote about here. Combine that to the T-Mobile ad that always makes me smile and the glamorous Marks and Spencer ones and adverts have become a lot of fun to watch. Spot al the celebs in the adverts and let me know if I have missed anyone out.

Gossip Girl Addiction

Wow, Gossip Girl just gets more popular by the hour. The show that was created from a popular book series has now turned into serious regular viewing by savvy teenagers and their hipster older brothers and sisters. The delightful, Fashion Addict discussed the male addiction to GG here. Now it looks like lifestyle companies have fallen head over heels with the show and have been snapping up GG stars to become faces of their brands. Taylor Momsen who plays status climber, Jenny Humphrey can be seen in a gritty commercial for Nike where she trys to outmaneuver the paparazzi. It is shot in an underground car park and we see Taylor laying down some serious martial arts and ninja stuff. Then there is Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick - who play the bickering Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass - and are now the faces of Nikon's Coolpix camera. The ad campaign is a series of magazine shots where we see Ed in a suit posing on a Vespa. He is also seen playing with a football (homage to his Brit roots) and singing onstage with his band The Filthy Youth. While Leighton records her upcoming album, chats over pizza and gets all dolled up in a makeup chair. Talk about art imitating life.

Check out the Nike ad with Taylor below.