Located on quiet Clearway Street in Boston, Bodega’s window shelves are stocked with laundry detergent and toilet paper. But inside, hidden behind a broken vending machine, you’ll find one of the East Coast’s sneaker utopias. In addition to the impressive selection of sneakers, the shop sells menswear favorites like Barbour and Mark McNairy. Bodega also stocks a house line that has primarily consisted of small pieces, hats and T-shirt, mostly—until now. Meet Bodega’s first full fashion collection for spring/summer 2012. Bodega's William Yu has this to say about the line:
“Looking at the SS12 collection, it is apparent that despite the current trend of clothes becoming increasingly slimmer, Bodega has chosen to take an alternative route. While not ridiculously baggy, the line gives a nod to ‘90s-era stylings, featuring several items that have a much looser fit than today’s ‘I-wear-my-sister’s-jeans’ swag.
When asked to describe the line, Leo Pagkaliwangan, the store’s head buyer and store manager, says, “Baggy everything. If you see pictures of [‘90s era bands and artists] it’s just really baggy hoodies, camo shorts, runners. It’s just a certain aesthetic that’s very unique from everything else that’s come out recently.”
For shop co-owner Jay Gordon, it is as important to stay relevant to the current status of the industry as it is being ahead of it. “The way our line has been in the past – we’ve been about a year ahead of where everyone else is, which is really frustrating because it sells horribly at first. And then a year later it just blows out. But once we realized that was happening, we realized it’s not a bad place to be: ahead of the curve,” he said.”
The entire collection drops tomorrow, Saturday, April 14, at Noon EST at bdgastore.com.
