Valentin Ozich's
I Love Ugly
I Love Ugly (ILU) was started in 2008 as an art project by founder and Creative Director, Valentin Ozich. Initially a passion project, ILU was conceived through late nights spent pondering over a rapidly expanding body of designs and illustrations within his bedroom in Auckland, New Zealand.
“I can remember in high school when streetwear labels first started popping up on my radar. Obviously, this pertains to a greater discussion about what streetwear is fundamentally and where it came from, but today it is certainly a global trend. In my teens, I started looking toward American and Japanese brands, but today the perspective has obviously broadened, just as much as streetwear has evolved.”
By 2011, I Love Ugly had grown & developed with a primary vision to create the world's best premium men's streetwear brand and to inspire its customers to achieve their creative aspirations. Soon, Valentin and his small Auckland-based team opened the first I Love Ugly online and retail store.
To this day, I Love Ugly does not wholesale its products and has decided to remain a direct-to-consumer brand through its own online and retail stores to maintain exclusivity and a premium brand experience.
Today I Love Ugly continues to grow as an internationally recognised brand. Still independently owned, despite hitting some rough patches along the way, it has carved out a niche as a premium yet accessible lifestyle brand with a fanbase spanning globally.
Collaborating with some of the world's most prestigious heritage brands, such as Onitsuka Tiger and JanSport, but never forgetting our homegrown roots.
What we love is that throughout their growth, they continue to show love to lesser-known creatives, musicians, artists, athletes, and innovators from New Zealand and around the globe.
They want to inspire the underdog through their podcast show, their social media platforms, physical retail stores, and their product.
That continued growth has brought them to Christchurch where they have recently opened their first South Island store in the heart of Christchurch Central City, at The Crossing.
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