Gift of the Garb: This Greedy Pig


Posted December 4, 2013 in Fashion, More

Independent retailers are important for adding a sense of personality to the streets of a city and Dublin has a small but sturdy enough network of them. However, rent hikes, online shopping, footfall figures and aggressively pervasive high street brands are just a few factors which might dissuade somebody from taking the plunge and setting up shop, but not those behind This Greedy Pig, a recently established lifestyle store that is confident and ambitious in both concept and execution.  

 

What’s the This Greedy Pig mission statement? 

Really, we are taking the things that we love and incorporating them into what we do. So whether it’s a gig we’ve thrown, a label we stock, or an interview or article we’ve put together, it’s an extension of us and the things that we like. But also [it’s important to us] to make sure every part of what we do is as good as it can be, from the content to the design, and to try to offer something a little different. If we aren’t doing that, then it kind of feels like there is little point in it all.

What are its origins and where was the concept born? 

We wanted a store selling the kind of street wear that we would wear ourselves. Alongside that, we would operate a blog that would both attract people to what we are doing, but also help give us an identity. It’s been a really important part of what we do. The Greedy Pig as a name, we’ll remain mysterious on that one, but if we said “Gimme dat greedy” some people out there will know what that means!

Can you name-check some of who is behind TGP?

The Greedy Pigs, of which there are three, are JJ Rolfe, Russell Simmons and Greg Spring. We have a sweet team of writers on board too, and Phil Kelly has taken over editing our blog, soon to be magazine.

Who is the customer you have in mind?

I guess that’s a tough one to pin down. Typically guys between 18 and 35, but we find through the various pies that we pop our trotters in, the audience interested in what we are doing tends to broaden.

Did you have any influences to draw on in getting set up?

Those that spring to mind would be Present London, HUH Magazine and Indigo & Cloth. We’d a vague idea of what we wanted, and a couple of trips to Berlin helped us focus. There were a couple of stores over there that lit a fire under us, fueling our enthusiasm.

And how’s business going? 

It’s good. It’s been hard at times. It was always going to be setting up a business when times have been tough. But we felt if we could survive this period, then we’d be OK. We all have other jobs too, so juggling our time has been a major challenge as well.

We’ve managed to spread the good word over the past 18 months and that has been the most heartening part for us. The talented bunch of writers, designers and musicians that we’ve been lucky enough to work with so far, and those that have expressed an interest in hooking up with us in future, suggest that we are doing something right.

Screen Shot 2013-12-04 at 14.06.50

You sell some really smashing prints. How do you decide who is a good fit? 

This is where we have been really lucky really. All of the prints we sell are by Irish artists, and most of them we can count as friends. We’re surrounded by a pretty special bunch of people. Honestly, we didn’t set out to offer the space as a means of support to up-and-coming artists. It’s a happy accident that the prints we sell are by Irish artists. If they didn’t fit, we wouldn’t sell them.

Why open a bricks-and-mortar store?

We’ve always wanted to move in to a space, so when we were approached by Pinky & Gina who run De La Punc, and they asked if we’d be interested in taking over half of their space on South William Street, we jumped at the chance. We really like what they do, so it felt like the right step.

Any other thoughts on being an independent retailer in Dublin? 

Charm comes from the smaller, independent shops rather than the bigger stores. Part of the drive for us was being a label that people respected and whose presence was a welcome sight. I think the culture of encouraging independent stores is getting better. We certainly feel the love for what we do, and that’s pretty satisfying.

What are your 2014 ambitions?

We have a Native Tongues collection in December. It’s our first clothing collection, so we are pretty excited about it. We’re also re-launching our website too. We’ve a few other exciting plans on the horizon, but at the risk of jinxing it, we’ll remain tight-lipped. The site will take on more of a magazine feel over the coming weeks, with a lot more original content which has always been important. We’ve had some great articles and interviews over the past 18 months, so its time for us to give that content the right platform.

 

This Greedy Pig
49 South William Street, D2
@thisgreedypig

 

Snippets…

blow

 

Blow by Blow
Early February 2014 sees the publication of ‘Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore” and offers an in-depth survey of the wardrobe of the fashion maven and champion of emerging talent. Her archive has been carefully documented through the lens of the highly-acclaimed Nick Knight. The volume is based on the exhibition currently running in Somerset House in conjunction with Central Saint Martins and is set to offer the most honest insight yet into the wardrobe of such an icon.

 

 

filthyclub

 

Filthy Gorgeous
After a brief stint of laying low, street clothier Joshua Gordon of lifestyle label Fucknfilthy has teamed up with a couple of other Dublin individuals in the know to orchestrate his rebranded return with the Filthy Club. Expect top-notch quality cotton tees with the best prints and the same cult following. Shop the collection online from 05/12 following a launch pop-up in Indigo & Cloth a few days before.

www.thefilthyclub.com / Check out our covers for July and September, both of which were shot by Josh.

 

 

justlikenew

 

Just Like New
Vintage gets a new lease of life with a couple of additions in the last month. 9 Crow Street has relocated to Ormond Quay whilst The Dublin Vintage Factory resides at 60A South William St. As well as carefully edited stock, both prioritise the in-store experience encouraging you to stick around; their spaces being a very far cry from the seemingly mandatory chaos and clutter of so many vintage spots.

www.dublinvintagefactory.com

 

 

Words: Stephen Moloney

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