We sit down with YARD Outernational, the Notts-based dealers of fashion books, zines, art, and printed merch, to hear all about how the project has evolved since its creation in 2020…
People always ask you, “What is YARD Outernational?” I want to ask you, “What isn’t YARD Outernational?”
I guess, first of all, it’s not quite a business in the true sense… the lines are somewhat blurred. YARD is still in its infancy as a project. I had an idea in 2020 to open a real life space for books and paper publications. So I did that. I ran the shop space for two years then closed it. Now I’m running about doing pop-ups with friends I’ve met along the way, trying to keep it all ticking over. Maybe I’ll have a look again at the retail landscape over the next six to twelve months and decide whether to make a comeback and go again. We’ll see.
Do you think that there’s still a place for fashion magazines in an increasingly digital fashion world?
For sure. I think it had changed for a while, and now physical print forms are once again becoming of greater interest to a new generation. I guess technology generally dictates the momentum of change, but as with, for example, the resurgence of interest in vinyl, these things are cyclical - sometimes there are generational shifts in taste and opinions, and I’m hopeful it continues in the current positive direction of travel.
What do you want people to take away from your collections?
Knowledge. Interest. Above all, choice.
Cross-pollination of cultural styles has and shall continue to be of importance. Where cultures clash, knowledge thrives and different futures are possible
You started YARD three years ago, at a time when most small and independent businesses were beginning to feel a lot of pressure. What encouraged you to pursue your passion?
Personal circumstances and an opportunity to do something I’d wanted to do for some time. I also saw a distinct gap that needed filling locally. There were no fashion magazine sellers in the city. Waterstones had stopped their magazine selection. WHSmith had more or less done the same, in terms of independent offerings. There wasn’t an indie bookseller in the city after Ideas on Paper disappeared during the first wave of COVID. Like I said, a big gap to fill in a city that also has a strong student population hungry for inspiration and learning.
The streetwear phenomenon has exploded in the last fifteen years, and you’re a big champion of this style, while also highlighting other types of fashion. How do you feel streetwear has adapted to incorporate itself into the high fashion world?
Seamlessly. It’s now hard to remember a time when it didn’t exist. Since the seventies, we’ve had a DIY fashion streetwear culture propagated by the early Westwood and McLaren punk movement. In the eighties, The Face, i-D, and BLITZ magazine stylists championed and highlighted the mixing of sportswear brands and high fashion… so this isn’t really a new cultural phenomenon, just a natural progression. Cross-pollination of cultural styles has and shall continue to be of importance. Where cultures clash, knowledge thrives and different futures are possible.
In one form or another, YARD is here to stay. You’ve spent some time in Rough Trade, and now you’ve got some pop-ups around the city. Tell us a bit about those, and where else we can expect to find a physical YARD presence.
I’m now working with a couple of stores on ideas that are shaping the direction of travel I want to take. We’ll see where it goes. I’m working with Urban Outfitters on a monthly fashion and style magazine tip called YARDMAGSTAND (dealing current and back-issue publications of i-D, Dazed, KALEIDOSCOPE, Perfect, and so on) and with Relic x Hooked, working more closely on my love of street culture books, zines and resell collectibles (suppliers like SNEEZE Magazine Canada, Lilypad Magazine USA, and innen zine Zurich, that kind of thing) under YARD OUTERNATIONAL OG. Both incarnations are linked but separate, with a crossover audience in places, so it seemed logical to me to organise my chaos in this way - to achieve a little clarity now it’s not all under one roof.
As time goes on, how do you see YARD growing, shifting and changing?
In all honesty, I’m not sure at this point - but the intent is to reach out to other like-minds, do interesting things and try to enjoy the hustle a little more. Maybe get a more regular spot somewhere. A new home from home.
Anything else you want to tell us about
Nope. I’d have to kill you.
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