Getting down with the Ugly Kids (its a good thing, trust me)
How did The Ugly Kids Club begin?
Myself, Mister Batlow, and former member Pins were all customisers and had been asked to teach kids customizing skills in a fashion workshop in East London. After the workshops an opportunity came up to work together in a store in Carnaby Street selling our customising services, and we eventually put together our first collection for a catwalk show under the name The Ugly Kids Club.
How did your cheeky name come about?
The name originates from the tale of the ugly duckling- hence the swan being our logo. Just like the Ugly duckling that blossomed into a beautiful swan, we like to think whatever your background your future is full of possibility.
Describe your style aesthetic in three words.
Bold, quirky, humorous
Who does the designing- and where does UKC draw its inspiration from?
Myself (Bomb Foley) and Mister Batlow do all the designing for the
clothing. Graffiti is our main source of inspiration, and I think that’s where both our styles
originate from- the bold outlines, the bright colours. But we draw inspiration from everything really. Our latest T Shirt called ‘The ladder of success’ is based on something you find in British pub culture: the fruit machine with the message being the journey to the top is a bit of a gamble. We previously had the ‘are you donuts’ collection which came about after
eating too many Krispy Kremes.
What have been the highlights so far?
Meeting people I admire like Pharrell Williams and him wanting all our t -
shirts, Dizzee Rascal wearing a t shirt I made on stage. Mariah Carey bigging us up in an interview. All the press we’ve received and I guess body painting pornstars also deserves a mention!
What do you think is behind the renaissance of urban and street fashion?
I’m not sure there has been a renaissance really it may have changed a bit, but brands like Nike, Adidas Reebok have been popular with youth ever since I can remember.
I guess the reason for the huge amount of independent ‘streetwear’ brands around now may have something to do with all the kids that grew up on hip hop etc now being in their 20-30’s and starting their own company’s.
Credits:
Special thanks to Mr Alan Foley for letting SMITHS feature Ugly Kids Club clothing
Special thank to Episode vintage in Camden for allowing SMITHS to feature their items
Special thanks to everyone who contributed to the shoot.
Photography: Laura Jung
Styling: Teju Adeleye & Josephine Porath
Models: Justin Uzomba, Sean Johnson, Jonathan Evans, Sam Bless and Leon Campbell
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