From the south coast of England up to the Scottish borders, so far, Fieldnotes has visited all over the UK. We’ve put names to faces behind some of our brilliant stockists that make Uskees what it is.
For this edition, we visited Keoma, a store in Fitzroy; a suburb of Melbourne known for its bohemian reputation, nightlife, and all-around trendiness.
The store takes its name from the 1976 Spaghetti Western, Keoma, directed by Franco Nero. The name is of Native American descent and translates into 'far away'.
Nick, founder of Keoma.
Keoma’s retail store opened up at the start of 2018. Initially, we opened to showcase the brands we were distributing at the time, and it has naturally evolved ever since. We’ve not stood still, how the store feels now is very different but still dedicated to the same vision.
We choose products with a story and purpose. We do our best to select pieces that are timeless and where possible repairable. We also made a conscious effort to make the store inclusive for everyone. As well as apparel, footwear and bags we also carry a curated range of lifestyle items including slow-made homewares and ceramics, along with small-batch pantry items.
Uskees fits in perfectly. It is seasonless, genderless and repairable. Three things that are part of our core values.
Melbourne is a super vibrant, arty, foodie and coffee-focused city. There is always something happening, always something to do or see. When Paul from Uskees visited last year, we went to one of my favourite Thai restaurants, tucked away on the ground floor of a multi-storey car park. Sat on plastic chairs, drinking Thai milk tea, and eating a duck larb salad so hot we were sweating, laughing, and crying all at the same time. I think experiences like that sum up what Melbourne is for me.
Melbourne is very understated, but a very stylish city. A little bit more understated than Sydney. We’re in a suburb called Fitzroy, just outside the City Centre. I suppose it's Melbourne’s version of Manchester’s Northern Quarter. You can sit all day with a coffee, or a beer and people watch. There is such a broad spectrum of styles but somehow everyone seems to do a good job putting their stamp on things.
I think the beauty of the Uskees pieces we carry they’re all very versatile. We’ve had quite a few customers buy the 3006 Suit jacket as a casual alternative to a wedding suit. But, for me, chucking a 3001 Overshirt over a white Oxford is the easiest way to dress it up.
My go-to items in Keoma are the 3001 in Ultra Blue, a pair of selvedge Kings Of Indigo jeans & Latigo shoes by Malibu sandals. It's pretty much my daily uniform. Special honourable mention to the Nice Pickles Pickled Pineapple, it's my favourite item in our pantry.
A big thank you to Nick and Keoma for taking part in this month’s edition of fieldnotes. Go over to instagram and check them out for yourself @keomastore
