On the hunt for the UK’s top independent retail stores we stumbled across Wood, in the great city of Manchester. To find out just how they cracked in to the thriving retail vibe on Manchester’s city streets, I asked them a few questions. Tersam’s the man with the plan, take a look here to find out what his story is:

Whats your name and what do you do?

My name is Tersam Sangha from A Shop Called Wood in Manchester. We are a retail store, design team and recently launched our house clothing brand Cyrus Wood. The belief is that we can and ought to try and embrace diversity from all angles of life, fashion, music, art and general style can all be bought from all corners of the world but 99% is all the same, we are that 1% that actually want to build a community of like minded people from around the world.

Tell us the story of Wood, where did it all begin?

The store came about as a reaction to the mass of cheap, throw away fashion that was being poured down our throat on a 24/7 basis. I used to collect big E Levis and Adidas sneakers in the 80’s; the emphasis was always on quality and design. This was all lost in 2003 when the beginnings of the store came about. It was impossible to find any of the clothing that we wanted.

The brands that we first carried in the store when we opened on June 21st 2004 were all dear to our heart and we felt close to their ideals. Silas, Perks and Mini, Surface to Air, Birdie, YMC, Horace, Fred Perry, Call of the Wild, Maharishi, Henrik Vibskov and loads more. These brands have gone through allot of changes as has the store.

We were blessed to have worked with some of the best talent around, that included Kai and Sunny, one of the best design teams in the world. They designed our logo, artwork and the whole graphic feel of the store. The logo font for Wood came into one of the best font designs book shortly after. They then redesigned our website for us in 2008; we are obviously big fans of their work and will always work with them whilst on this journey.

Very early before the beginnings of the shop we met Russell Waterman from the Silas and Maria family Silas and Amos, these guys held that natural quality that a good brand should have that shines through, they worked as a family and treated us with the most genuine attitude that is very hard to find these days. This influence d us to work with genuine people (Gimme 5, Denim is everything, PAM etc.) that have the rare talent to see something special way before anyone else.

How did Manchester like the store? Did you find it hard to build up that faithful customer base?

The store was a tremendous success from the minute we opened our door, customers quickly became friends and that grew exponentially. The methods were to work with only the best people around at that time, be genuine and only do what you truly believe in.

What is it that you love about your area, are you proud of the area you’ve built Wood’s home in?

The Northern Quarter of Manchester has a family feel to the area, we love, there were 28 record shops in the area alone when we started. As teenagers we used to sit downstairs in the basement of Eastern Bloc, where only friends were allowed and pioneers of the music scene were allowed, we also used to frequent Dry Bar which was at one point the best bar in the world and possibly one of the first in the UK at the time of the Hacienda.

So yes, the area holds a special place in our heart.

What have you got going on at the moment, any interesting projects for 2010?

2010 has kind of reinvigorated my passion for the clothing industry, it became impossible to find a brand that was special, that wasn’t sold in every city around the country, and we decided to unleash Cyrus Wood.

Cyrus Wood is the name of the company that owns the 2 stores and website and now the brand, It was always part of the plan in 2003 when we began this journey, the reason it’s called Cyrus Wood is two part, firstly one of the best pieces of cinema very made The Warriors and the leader of all and secondly as part of a one of my favourite artists in the world Andy Goldsworthy and his book called Wood.

This is a combination of ideas that could not be further apart, but managed to capture my imagination and best exemplify how I felt about the arts as a discipline.

Born out of a dissatisfaction with an over saturated menswear market, Cyrus Wood aims to restore a sense of uniqueness to menswear, creating a brand that is limited in run and availability.

We dropped our second part of the first collection in January 2004 and it sold out within a few weeks, this was a collection of shirts in corduroy, gingham, and a beautiful cotton drill, Also shirt jackets in Wool. It uses only British fabrics and is Made in England; it is a paramount ideal of Cyrus Wood and we feel passionate about this fact. From the first moment that I used to visit the woollen mills that my family worked in and the shoe factory that my mum worked at, that I used to visit as a 12 year old, I fell in love with this industry. It pains me deeply that the government allowed the Capitalist executives to sell the soul of the clothing industry in this country to the Far East. Factories all in Manchester and Leicester, fabric mills in Yorkshire and Lancashire closed over night when the likes of Marks and Spencer’s moved production over to the Far east, and these companies even used the management teams from the UK to train the staff in China on the pretence that they will never produce outside of the UK and they then called them and cancelled their contracts and factories had to close overnight.
The Italians and French managed to protect their clothing industry unlike the crooks over here.

Without getting too political , we would like to stress that Cyrus Wood is about design and not just concepts like most others out there, it’s about special fabrics, a great fitting garment that our customers will grow to love and that will become a staple part of their wardrobe.

Made exclusively in England, the label is quality driven with quality fabrics manufactured in only the highest quality factories in the UK.
Cyrus Wood is not street style. Cyrus Wood is not disposable and it is especially not Fashion. Cyrus Wood is a faith, an idea, a belief, a Tribe.

Cyrus Wood is a utilitarian menswear label for the conscious man’s wardrobe.

For people interested in starting up an independent retail venue, what would you tell them that you wish you’d known back when you opened?

Fashion is inevitably one of the most immediate expressions of culture and the most pervasive one. You need to think about the clothes we wear, how they are made, where they are made and who made them, put the craft back into clothing. It is important to keep the workmanship high, our lives are so divorced from the source of things, we need to reinforce quality craftsmanship and engineered garments. This is what makes fashion exciting and gives its depth that we can use to mark our own achievements.

It will encompass your whole life, enjoy the ride.

What have been the absolute high points of the store?

When we started selling out own label in 2008, customers could not keep their hands off the garments, when they walk into the shop and tell you that one of your designed garments have become their favourite garment and they have to stop themselves from wearing it every day (…so buy another one)!

What are the future goals for Wood, what do you want to have accomplished by the end of this year?

We will be visiting our friends from around the world, building our tribe and having a good time.

Making music, art, love and clothes. Watch this space, Cyrus Wood will be entering phase 6 and be going into some of the best stores worldwide and be working with some Heritage British Brands, cannot say too much now, I will holla back when we are ready to let you guys know.

Bubbling on the underground for the last 6 years, 2010 see its foray into the public conscience.

So in other words, watch this space cats! This brand will be not only spreading the (retail) love all over Britain but conquering the world in on the menu too!

Ever heard of DJ AM and DJ Premier? Of course you have. Which is exactly why you need to listen.

Both of them, SIMULTANEOUSLY have collaborated with NIKE to produce a limited pair of the sweetest things I’ve seen in a long time.

The International hype about these bad boys as artists is big enough, let alone as a collaboration with NIKE. Don’t believe me? Just search YouTube.

FRESH! This Friday, stop by Carnaby Street’s Size? for a seriously LIMITED pair of sneaks as a double pack! If the past releases are anything to go by, these won’t be on the shop floor for longer than a minute, and I can see why.

BELIEVE.

Vice and Nike are embarking on a special collaboration to give you the ultimate guide to six European cities, including London, for Nike’s new app, True City.

Basically, it’s a free guide to the city from people who should know where to go, updated regularly by Vice and Nike’s city Insiders. Which is great news for you if you want to know where to drink after hours, play football with hundreds of people, eat the best chinese soft shelled crab, or buy grime white labels. You can gain pocket held access to all of this invaluable content, as well as inside information about upcoming events and product launches and the chance to upload your own content, by downloading the app for free. The best of the civilian contributors, as judged by the rest of the True City community, will even have an opportunity to become Nike Insiders themselves. Take a watch of the vid below:

You can go here to download the app for free yourself: NIKE

There are numerous Nike Skateboarding releases to look foward to, and add this one to the list of items to grab. Below is an image of Nike’s very own Duffle Bag. This bag features various pockets, and a very strong design. This military inspired bag is perfect for anything you have to throw at it, or throw in it rather. Go find this bad boy at your local NIKE stockist…now. TAKE A HIKE.

These are the new Nike Air Wildwood Premium kicks that come from the “Check Pack” of the Nike ACG Collection from Nike Sportswear. The pack consists of the Nike Air Wildwood premium and another Air Revaderchi Premium. This dunk highlights different materials such as soft suede and premium leather. Of course, it wouldn’t be part of the Check Pack if not for the lining and midsole of the shoe which has a Purple and Gray check pattern. Nike ACG is having its 20th birthday soon, so we can probably expect some more kicks coming our way soon

UNDFTD has just launched Version 21 of their ongoing Billboard Project that has been a collaboration between the Los Angeles based sneaker boutique/brand and Nike. The newest billboard features a photograph of Jim Brown shot by legendary photographer, Neil Leifer. If you’re a subcriber of Sports Illustrated you should be familiar with Leifer’s work as he has shot over 150 different covers for the magazine.

This different looking Zoom Macropus first debuted back in ‘04, designed by Hiroshi Fujiwara, Tinker Hatfield and Mark Parker (those guys are better known as HTM the Nike design collective). All three continue to take a part in Nike’s future, they are all in much higher positions. Hiroshi is a consultant god for them, Tinkeris the design god, and Mark has taken over the company as the Nike god, or aka CEO. For the opening Nike Sportswear Tokyo, Nike added a new colourway of Macropus for opening day shoppers. Nice. Thanks to Freshness for the info…

Designed closely to Air Force 1, the classic-shaped Nike Vandal Hi Vintage now comes in White canvas, with Red swoosh, and Blue accent. It features a Red/White sole unit and comes in White laces, while the second pair will come in Red laces. This basketball sneaker is meant for more breathable than traditional leathers and also a good deal lighter. It will retail stateside for $128. [soleredemption]

This all white Air Force 1 Mid just says pure class. Its clean, tight, and to the point…rock a pair of these and you’ll catch everyones attention. I love the AF1 buckle on the lace, classy and elegant…whole lot more than just a pair of kicks. [soleredemption]