Better Never Than Late!: Imperious Rex

Saturday, 5 July 2008

Imperious Rex

Imperious Rex is a small but sweet clothing store stuck bang in the middle of Roman road, pushing the creme de le creme of street wear cotton-wear. Not only have they nailed the store Aesthetic, soundtrack and product, they provide one service no other street wear store is able to, warmth and effective customer service. Imperious Rex is the warm blooded anomaly among a race of cold blooded elitist pound seekers.

What drove you to starting a street wear store in the heart of London's east end, as opposed to a more commercial area?

Karma and instinct but more importantly operating out of the East End enables us to keep our prices competitive. Fundamentally, commercial success (whilst being undeniably attractive for obvious reasons) was not our principal motivation because we are not wankers err.. sorry bankers. What we offer is not for everyone but everyone is welcome.

Whats the story behind the name?

It's a clarion call, a battle cry uttered by my name sake as he prepares to smack-down his surface dwelling enemies. We're underground, we go into battle everyday against sartorial mediocrity and we like the way it sounds regal and arrogant. It's the perfect fit for us.

Is there any pattern or reason behind the stocking specific brands you stock?

When considering which brands we work with we simply ask ourselves one question "would we wear it?" This is our bell weather, if we wouldn't wear it we can't offer it to our friends. We find if we allow the decision making process to become stymied by the myriad of other factors all to easily introduced we lose sight of the bottom line.

What brand has sold the best in the store and why do you believe this is?

Milkcrate Athletics has been our best selling label to date and we believe that (aside from their consistently great product and nack for collaborating with artists and musicians as they become of the moment) this is because it's the oldest and most instantly recognisable of all the brands on our current roaster.

Can UK brands like Trapstar and A.IN.T realistically compete with the established US and Japanese brands?

Yes but in our view only if they distil and leverage that which quintessentially distinguishes them from their US and Japanese counterparts. The US and Japanese brands consistently deliver highly desirable product effortlessly because they have invested in becoming expert at identifying, synthesising and replicating the cultural assets available to them natively and abroad. A great example of this is ALIFE's recent work with Swiss chocolate makers Chocolaterie Blondel. They've taken a cultural asset synonymous with Switzerland combined it with the Internationally recognised Hershey bar silhouette and finally added a measure of the increasingly potent ALIFE creative sensibility which strengthens in concentration with every collaboration. If I want a varsity jacket I'll look at what the Japanese brands are doing because they have taken this US cultural staple, painstakingly replicated it in intricate detail thus enhancing, re-imagining and redefining it. If emerging brands hope to successfully compete for a share of the highly congested street wear market then plain and simply their product needs an undeniable point of difference.

Do you have plans for working alongside other stores or brands in the future?

We've a couple of projects in the works and are enjoying the development process. We're looking forward to sharing the fruits of our labour with BNTL and our wider audience.

Do you buy directly from the brands of via national distributors or reps?

In the main we prefer to deal direct where ever possible. This way we are dealing with individuals whose passion for their brand is boundless and undiluted. It does have its drawbacks but these are negligible when compared with those encountered dealing with some reps and distributors. It also helps us regulate our pricing which as we've said is a cornerstone issue for us.

With brands like FUCT coming into the store and Milkcrate selling so well, do you believe theres a trend towards brand revival?

I'm not sure it hints at a trend, rather it reminds us how much reverence people place in brand heritage. The archive of brands like Milkcrate & FUCT will resonate with people who remember the brands from back in the day and also serves as a subliminal resource that helps inform the decisions of those discovering the brands for the first time. It's a lot more challenging to get people to buy into a brand that they have no reference for even if they think the products dope!