No smiley face t-shirts: Cyberdog celebrates 20 years of selling unique rave gear
Wednesday, 3rd September 2014
THE spiritual home of rave gear – a shop whose customers have included Kylie Minogue, Alice Cooper and Daryl Hannah – celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday.
Cyberdog, which spans three floors of a 10,000sq ft building in the heart of Camden Market, opened after its founders grew tired of clubbing outfits “with smiley faces on” in the 1990s.
Partners Terry Davy and Spiros Vlahos began selling their T-shirts in a tarpaulin-covered corner of the market in 1994.
Cyberdog opened its first shop in Earlham Street, Covent Garden, in 1998, expanding to Camden Market the following year, moving to its current premises in 2010 and adding the Futurelovers adult store in the basement.
Its origins can be traced back to a night out clubbing by Mrs Davy in the 1990s.
“That night, she spotted some policemen out working, dressed in reflective gear and thought that would look great in a club,” said general manager Tim Bell.
Adding flashing lights, neon and all sorts of futuristic designs, Cyberdog soon became one of the best-known club wear stores, with branches around the world.
The couple’s pet, Chi Chi, “half chihuahua, half space alien”, became the face of the brand and its logo. The dog, actually “the second Chi Chi, but like Lassie, he never dies”, lives in the Cyberdog office, adjacent to the store. He has a cult following, with customers who sport tattoos of the logo getting discounts.
Other celebrity clients include Kathy Burke, who sported a flashing alien top in teen comedy Kevin and Perry Go Large, and Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter, who popped in to buy “dark stuff”.
But Cyberdog gear is not for everyone. “People have to be happy with how they wear it,” said Mr Bell. “We don’t want people to be something false and get all their hair coloured if that’s not really them.
“Our staff have to have a balance between putting on a show and looking good but also being really nice and helpful.”
Two days of anniversary celebrations feature Djs performing outside the store, drinks giveaways, discounts and street entertainers.
