Sulki and Min Choi, both graduates of the MFA program in Graphic Design from Yale University and now both researchers at the Jan van Eyck Academie in The Netherlands designed a book in 2006 for a Korean artist by the name of Sasa. The book was titled, “Our Spot: New York”, a sewn paperback book published through Specter Press. The relationship of the book title’s name to New York and a place closer to home seems more than highly coincidental. A creation of a small independent conceptual store existing in a manner of socially vibrant individuals in a bourgeois collaboration of artists, photographers and designers alike in a place such as New York would only exist, right?

Nom De Guerre, corner of Broadway and Bleecker Street
Manhattan New York

For such a prominent example is the collective foundation of New York’s Nom de Guerre. Comprising Holly Harnsongkram, Wil Whitney, graffiti artist Devon Turnball and former designer for Marc Jacobs, Isa Saalabi as the name suggests from its French origins, Nom de Guerre is defined as:

Nom de Guerre
noun ( pl. noms de guerre pronunc. same)
an assumed name under which a person engages in combat or some other activity or enterprise.
ORIGIN French, literally ‘war name’.

It is a great contextual approach to combining the modern fabrics that are used today with a highly constructed utilitarian nature. Think about World War II and how such strong quality in the tailoring of clothes for the armies of the U.S. and Nazi Germany were manufactured and remember the clever inside seams and linings and the details such as front double side pockets, waist cotton pants and double breasted jackets with their accompanying  leather bomber outerwear for highly flying pilots? You start to see that military wear is a great source of inspiration. With always the great hussle and bustle of New York streets and those familiar yellow signs going green and red saying, ‘Do Not Cross’, the Nom de Guerre New York based store since its establishment has literally remained underground. A New York subway like entrance is ear marked by the dark bitumen with then a close eye, you then can see the words which make out, ‘Nom De Guerre’.

Our Spot, Liverpool Street Darlinghurst

In the same ‘underground’ idea, what probably most on lookers in Sydney who regularly make trips to upper Oxford Street to Darlinghurst, Paddington and further onwards is what would perhaps be very unfamiliar if heard by word of mouth and if not seen before. A polished black street corner sign reads out, ‘Our Spot’ in a beautiful serif typeface that immediately follows the familiar familiar initials of ‘A.P.C.’. Our Spot is a small highly defined independent menswear and womenswear gallery store established by Dion Kovac and Claire Cooper back in 2002. The inception of their store was first in Surry Hills’ Sydney’s Crown Street, an avenue full of new and vintage clothing and a street clothes vibrancy. Using Dion’s background as a former professional street skater and Claire’s background in the music industry, the duo combined identities including Adidas Originals, Umbro by Kim Jones, Rittenhouse and the introduction of Nom de Guerre.

Our Spot, womenswear collection

One of the apparent problems that happens now in Sydney boutiques situated in the culturally wealthy concentrated localities of Paddington and further up north is not being able to continually progress and offer something new and fresh. This lack of transformation is in great contrast where both Dion and Claire have use their international travelling experience to keep Our Spot as a yearly metamorphosis, a refinement that retains the fun and playful nature of garments brought in chosen new names but still keeping the theme of beautiful utilitarianism. Keeping Micah Hamdorf and Sally McDonald’s clever Rittenhouse, Our Spot introduced new and faithful names that have become bookshelf identities included A.P.C. by Jean Touitou, United Bamboo by Miho Aoki and Thuy Pham, Beat Poët, Common Projects and Sunshine and Shadow.

Comme de Garçons Play t-shirt with Rittenhouse Mackintosh coat and skinny pant
Robert Geller Arm Pleat Shirt with Souvenir jacket (pictured: below)

In a recent interview in the February 2008 issue of Soundvenue, the Danish magazine publication following this year’s Copenhagen Fashion Week, Danish design maestro Henrik Vibskov mentioned that the fashion industry is one that is incredibly short-lived. In saying so, the store continuously revitalises itself, adding extra spirit in character but above all a function of an inherent quality in all chosen garment pieces. One of the aspect of the store perhaps is a sense of intimidation. A German super-slick clean modern aesthetic interior with dark polished veneer wood shelves, garments free-flowing which are hung effortlessly from dark shaded wood coat hangers. But any sense of doubt suddenly just disappear. The concept gallery store supports the honesty and the character of each of the represented designers where their collection is highly complimented with each other.

Travelling to Our Spot is more than just a conventional ‘retail’ experience. For one rare aspect, both owners of the store are present in-store and not locked away at a head office somewhere not near the actual store. As you walk closer up the stairs to the very large glass reflected door and introducing yourself to Dion, you finally realise and understand what you could not define before. The store’s direction and approach is not only about the elective, highly unconventional clothes housed inside but a close-neat meeting place, something special and something you do not often experienced. As the store has matured and progressively developed, the strong sense of a weekly venture to your ‘book club’ becomes self-evident with Dion running the store throughout most of the week. Conversations aren’t just restricted to Fashion - it begins and muddles itself and unfolds to music, arts, photographers, architecture and the trials and tribulations of who’s who in Fashion Design.

Robert Geller Combo Stripe shirt with Mack coat, Nom de Guerre suiting pant with
Common Projects Canvas Lace and A.P.C. Weekender bag

Lisa Dionisio from Refinery29 had spoken to Dion and Claire mid-last year. This idea of missing a great selection of individual designers offered widely in Europe had a completely void presence in Sydney. Dion explains:

‘Claire and I both wanted to start fresh with labels that were previously unavailable here.
But these collections are our favourites too.’

This has created Our Spot’s own vision and distinction from many of the current existing boutique stores in Sydney. The fact that the individual design collections chosen by Dion and Claire with a sharp eye brings together a personal interrelatiship between Fashion and the designer and with those who come into the store selecting garment pieces. No doubt this has started and reflected Our Spot’s running longevity. Dion’s original vision for Our Spot to be an intelligent, pragmatic store has further consolidated with the synthesis of new identities including of recent, Raf by Raf Simons, Comme de Garçons, Deadly Ponies, New York’s Robert Geller, Opening Ceremony and accompanied by this year’s womenswear collection, Arnsdorf by Jade Sarita Arnott. With the recent Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2008, Dion was very happy to speak about Our Spot to date.

Our Spot, Interior space

The facade and architecture of the former gallery space as described by Claire as:

‘We wanted to create a space that reflected the architecture of the building in its original form.’

inerts natural light through the store’s interior large side room windows and cream white walls in keeping the original space’s purpose and meaning. Dion and Claire have endeavoured to put more emphasis and personal determination in offering something more special, something to cherish than buying your favourite design piece. And although this is an experience of its own, you can certainly really appreciate than it’s more of a meet-up over a friend’s place, buying clothes and dressing up.

Dion Kovac and Claire Cooper are the directors of Our Spot. The small progressive menswear and womenswear gallery store houses collections of A.P.C., Nom de Guerre, United Bamboo, Arnsdorf, Raf by Raf Simons, Rittenhouse, Comme de Garçons, Robert Geller, Opening Ceremony and Sunshine and Shadow. Their store sits camouflaged in the quiet Liverpool Street in Darlinghurst, Sydney. For more information and regular updates to the store, please visit their website.

Featured as part of Our Spot’s new Lookbook which you can see above is film director Michaela Sanders and photographer Rene Vaile.

Our Spot

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All images have been kindly provided by Our Spot. Out of courtesy, please seek permission first by email before considering using them.
Nom de Guerre, Image from Jargol
Our Spot, Interview by Lisa Dionisio for Refinery 29 - August 21, 2007
¹ ‘Nom de Guerre’, Definition by Oxford American Dictionaries
Our Spot Lookbook 2008, Photography by Our Spot
Our Spot, Images by Our Spot

Tags: A.P.C., Arnsdorf, Claire Cooper, Comme de Garçons, Common Projects, Dion Kovac, Jade Sarita Arnott, Michaela Sanders, Nom de Guerre, Opening Ceremony, Our Spot, Raf by Raf Simons, Rene Vaile, Rittenhouse, Robert Geller, Sunshine and Shadow, United Bamboo

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