For Verdy, taking stuff from URL to IRL is more important than ever.
“Nowadays everything is seen and done on the internet,” the legendary Japanese creative tells us when explaining the importance of Verdy’s Gift Shop at Dover Street Market London, “It’s cool to get to meet my fans in person and meet new creatives in new cities. I find in-person interaction to be super valuable.”
The multi-week installation is the first time Verdy has created work in the UK — and he didn’t disappoint with the drops. You can expect Girls Don’t Cry, Wasted Youth, his original mascot Vick, Visty, plus collabs with A$AP Rocky, Beats and Nike to all feature in-store over the next few weeks.
Before we headed down to check out the space first-hand, we chatted to Verdy about what he’s bringing to the table with his Gift Shop, the importance of remaining youthful, and the importance of physical and real-life mediums like magazines and pop-ups.
What items can we expect to feature in the gift shop?
You can expect to see all of my projects – Vick, Visty, Girls Don’t Cry, Wasted Youth, and THIRTY3 MAGAZINE. There are also some special collaborations with brands and artists – Capitana, Alake Shilling, Phingerin, BOTT, Beats by Dre, New Balance, and of course, DSM.
When you create art or design a gift, what’s the most important thing you put into it?
My goal will always be to express myself & design based off of my true feelings in that moment.
What’s your favourite thing about putting on events like this?
It’s cool to get to meet my fans in person and meet new creatives in new cities. Nowadays everything is seen and done on the internet. I find in person interaction to be super valuable.
What are three words that you would use that best describe your universe?
Love, Hate, Peace.
What do you like most about the UK?
Definitely the punk culture. I’ve been so in love with punk culture my whole life and it’s cool to be in London, where it all started.
What do you believe is the biggest purpose behind your work?
The biggest purpose behind my work is to carry on the torch for the new generation of urahara culture. I want to bridge the gap between the new and old generation, different countries and cultures. I want to help break down barriers for all types of creatives.
Is it important to you to remain young at heart?
Yes, I think so. I’m 38, but my spirit feels the same as when I was 18. I still hold the same level of excitement for life.
One of your biggest inspirations is old magazines. How important do you think magazines are in this day and age?
They are super important because magazines capture entire eras. With social media, information is so broad and diluted, but when you’re reading and seeing information in a magazine, it’s capturing a moment in time.
I recently started my own magazine called THIRTY3 MAGAZINE. The energy put into making a physical magazine – hand selecting every word, every person who will be featured, and every other little detail – it’s so intentional and I think it makes magazines so valuable.
Other than through artwork, your other primary format of expression is words. If there’s one message you could give to the world in 2025, what would it be?
There’s a lot of love and hate in this world but I think the most important thing is peace.
