Style Birmingham

As Birmingham’s Award Winning Best Independent Retailer & defined as “super cool” by Sixty Nine Magazine, Disorder is a retail store with it’s own menswear label specialising in ground-breaking tailoring & made in the city itself.

How did you start your store?

“We set Disorder up in 1998 as a vertically integrated business as an ’experiment,’ to show that by combining our strong political and social beliefs with our creative ideas, it is possible to produce a brand as special as Disorder. Behind the high street ethos of driving profits at all cost, there are hidden costs that are not included on companies’ balance sheets which are being subsidized by those that can least afford it.  We are proud to be the antithesis of the high street; we manufacture our products locally in Birmingham, we use British expertise & British fabrics 90% of the time. This is not a sales gimmick; we have been banging on about the importance of keeping manufacturing in any industry where possible in this country for years, and the importance of resisting manufacturing abroad in countries like China. Disorder is therefore stubbornly made in the UK with real principles, & is one of the last remaining true British labels.”

What makes your store unique?

“As opposed to the high street, we do not mass produce our garments nor is it over distributed. Our garments are hand crafted and we continue to strive for quality over quantity. By having been able to build a positive sustainable business that has developed organically over the last 12 years, with a higher business conciousness to most of our neighboring stores and brands that we are surrounded by, Disorder Ltd as in the company, is testiment that there is an alternative way to doing business in this capitalist global economy. Mary Portas claims Disorder “is a cross between Alexander McQueen & Vivienne Westwood” as we combine our own graphic art with other graphics, giving it an inconceivable edge.”

What influences you?

“Our own in-house menswear brand  specialises in contemporary tailoring, it is what we call, ‘fashion forward future classic,’ however, we keep our prices as competitive as possible, even though Disorder is a limited edition high end fashion product manufactured in the UK. The brand is totally unique; it does not pretend to be something it isn’t and its originality disarms people when they first see it. Our designs are influenced by a strong sense of a need to give justice to our customers with a look & feel that makes them reflect their personality. The  brand does not ‘hijack’ the customer, as does so many other labels with their shouting branding, our designs instead, we like to think, become part of the character of the individual. Each design literally starts from an idea, we do not follow fashion, nor do collections as such, or seasons. We just design what we feel like & run it until it runs its own natural course. We are renown for our range of shirts & jackets, trousers & t-shirts with graphic art from co-owner Mark Howard’s own sketches and illustrative artwork. As one Disorder customer once said, Disorder is about art, just as much as it is about fashion…”

Why do you think Birmingham has style?

“Well, any city that has Disorder has style, it goes without saying.  On a serious note, style comes from the self confidence of a person… &our customers know there own minds.”

We’re definitely in the summer now, so what items/styles do you think are essential this summer?

“Disorder is a beacon for those who love creatively made clothes with design integrity. At the moment we have some amazing one-off handpainted tees which are flying out, not to mention are tailored shirt & our funky trousers, all previewed in the Celebrate Independents Fashion Show.”

Rock & Doll Womenswear for Disorder