The Beginning...

It’s another cold, wet, spring evening. You meet up with your mate in a pub. One of you is suddenly single (again), and one of you is facing possible redundancy due to potential cutbacks.  

So what do you do?

 

Let me introduce you to Dave…

Name: David, but all his mates call him Dave.

Age: 29 ish. He's kinda geeky, and wants to thought of as really cool... in fact beyond cool. Of course he isn’t, he is in fact a bit of a twat, but nice, really nice in a bloke sort of way. Likes women who have an oriental twist, but always keeps them at arms length. I call them 'mysterious girls', cos they drift in and out of his life and none of us ever actually meet them. We only know about them by the morning smile of his face!

Where he shops: Carnaby Street for trainers, Ted Baker for shirts, Urban Outfitters, and surprisingly, Acne, which is uber cool. Some vintage bits from Brick Lane and Spitalfields, especially sun glasses and picture frames.

Jeans: Cheap Monday 

Watch: Vintage

Boxers or commando: Calvin Klein Boxers

Interests: Cool pubs and restaurants with friends. Sunday league football, gym... only when necessary. Pop-up Art Galleries, street art, photography, gigs headlining up and coming bands, such as: The Black Keys, The Cribs, Twin Atlantic or The Maccabees.

Job: Graphic Designer 

Loves: Geeky gadgets

Favorite Drink: Great beer

Drives: No need, Dave lives in London, but would like a vintage Triumph.

Personal Head Space: Need to make a change and find stuff that inspires him! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, about me...

Name: Mark.
Age: early 30’s, trapped in the wrong era, should have been born mid 1800's then could have been a poet riding an old bike round a village green, a romantic at heart, yeah I know, I am a twat!

Where I shop: Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Fenwick Men’s, Diesel, Paul Smith. Some

Vintage bits from Notting Hill, especially furniture.

Jeans: Diesel

Watch: Tag

Boxers or commando: Diesel Boxers

Interests: Out door stuff, cycling, cricket. Love great coffee with mates on a Sunday morning. Play occasionally in a band and open mic nights with guitar. Sketching (belong to urban sketchers).

Bands: Keane, Band of Skulls, Muse, Paul Weller, Florence and The Machine, Elvis Costello

Job: Furniture Designer

Favorite Drink: G&T

Drives: BMW Motorbike

Personal Head Space: Looking for direction and want to go and see great stuff! Like Dave, I need some ideas to guide me to my next project in life, what ever that might be.

Meet me, Mark, and my mate Dave. Just two basic guys, who, faced with a lack of a girl friend (with benefits) and a lack of a job (redundancy so cash is available) decide to make a change, and GO SHOPPING. But not just any shopping...we are going shopping around the world for COOL STUFF. Why...?

Because right now, we can!

AND to see if Dave is really up for the challenge, I am planning to go EXTREME shopping, for a really cool ipad cover… Oh, this is how it all bloody well got started… honestly, just like this...

Dave; I need a really cool ipad cover.

Mark; Dave, you're not that cool, you just want a bog standard ipad cover.

Dave; No, I want something that’s really cool, bog standard Dave is moving on...

Mark; How needy is your need?

Dave; Pretty damn up there with the mother of all needs.

Mark; Price? and how far will you travel to find it?

Dave; Ummmmmmmm, what did you have in mind?

Mark; Ok, I have a brilliant plan, so how about we attempt EXTREME shopping. I feel the need to check out three of the coolest concept stores on the planet.

Dave; What, the hell is a concept store?

Mark; It’s where you get a collection of brands that really showcase their ideology, their belief in the brand and expose everything that they love including their hearts. And I know of three of them.

Dave; OMG, the poet is back in my midst, so they are just shops then?

Mark; No, more than shops, they are an ideal. The very best of retail space that invites you in and tugs at your heartstrings. So our challenge for extreme shopping is... Dover Street Market in London, Colette in Paris and Tad in Rome. All in one day.

Dave: London, Paris, Rome... that’s not do-able. Just, for a nano second, I thought you meant the new Dover Street Market on the Ginza, Tokyo! 

Mark; How do you know about Dover Street Market, you're not even cool?

Dave; So you're organizing it all? right?

Mark; Yep leave it to me.

Dave; God, now I’m scared.

Mark; oh ye of little faith... bring passport, credit card, get load of euros, and your 'all stars'  fitted with wings, and nuthin' else, 'cos we need to travel light!

Dave; All I wanted was to go to the local Apple store and look at ipad covers...

FOLLOW MARK AND DAVE ON WWW.MARKANDDAVEGOSHOPPING.COM FOR BONKERS SHOPPING TRIPS, MAD IDEAS, AND TO FIND SOME TRULY GREAT STUFF.
(Illustrations by Dylan Gibson)