The cult Facebook group that created a whole new fashion subculture of rare vintage street wear lovers is branching out into retail with a shop set in the arcades off Peckham Rye.
For Andres Branco, a born and bred South Londoner, who started the group alongside Gabrielle Roberts, setting up there felt natural.
“I grew up in South East London,” he explains, “Obviously the area has changed a lot over the recent years, which comes with its pros and cons but the store is already settling in well with the rest of the businesses in the arcade. There’s guys who have been here for years selling ragga and dancehall CDs next door to a trendy hair salon and an independent radio station. We fit in a treat.”
They’re having an opening party tonight with The Heatwave playing a set that’s bound to get you in the mood for Carnival weekend, and will be opening to the general public from Saturday.
“The idea is to make it more convenient for people to have access to rare garms, where they don’t have to traipse from East London vintage shops to Portobello Road in search of that wavey grail,” Andres explains. “There’s been lots of creative input from various friends; graffiti writers, carpenters and sign painters – all of which makes WG what it is today. Wavey Garms is inspired by UK rave culture and our layout and decor is heavily influenced by colourful 90s rave flyers and has an industrial hacienda feel to it.”