Manchester and Berghaus have a special relationship. For the latest episode of size? collections we explore this colourful connection with none other than Richie Gill, owner of vintage clothing shop Bags of Flavor that’s located on the lively corner of 33 Tib Street.
Reflecting on an essential part of his journey, Richie explains how we spent time living in New York during the ‘90s where he would go out thrifting, eventually bringing back his best hauls to the UK. This helped him kickstart the early days of his business which originally started out as a small unit in Afflecks Palace, an indoor market in Manchester’s Northern Quarter where he’d pay £70 a week for rent of his spot. “And weirdly enough, it went really well, and I never looked back and I’ve been doing it 24 years.”
Berghaus Trango Extreme Jacket
“It’s about the weather mate… it’s Mancunian weather,” Richie tells us as he presents the Berghaus Trango Extreme Jacket. “Everyone remembers this because there’s no other jacket that looks like it. A lot of people have tried to copy this thing, but it isn’t this.”
Mira Peak
“Same with the Mira Peak, probably one of the best designed hoods that fold into the neck. Really nice GORE-TEX, really nice condition, still works today… great jacket.”
“My process for buying vintage clothing is pretty much I buy from all over the world. I buy in different spots, I deal with different people, I get a lot of videos sent to me that I screengrab pieces, and I’m forever sifting through bits I don’t want to get to the bits that I actually do want.”
The Manchester local has also been making custom bags out of damaged goods since the early ‘90s – even before his vintage selling days – starting off with personalised record bags for DJs and then expanding his portfolio to the more prestigious likes of ska and trip-hop outfits such as The Specials and Massive Attack. You’ve probably heard of them.
After being told by one of his close mates that his bags were ‘pure hip-hop’ due to the comparisons that can be drawn from his mix-and-match sampling technique, the name Bags of Flavor stuck as the perfect bridge which joined together both of his creating and selling endeavours. “I enjoy it still,” Richie muses, “I like being creative. I was dyslexic in school and they pretty much wrote me off. I’m not an academic but I found my niche and I kinda stayed in it and I enjoyed it every day since.” Raw entrepreneurship at its finest…
If you’re ever in the local Greater Manchester area be sure to check out Richie’s vintage clothing shop Bags of Flavor if you’re in the market for something truly timeless. Failing that, a simple hello never hurts, either.
Hold up, before you go, get involved with some more size? collections over on our blog.
