Tim runs "This Thing of Ours," a store based in Manchester but known across the globe. Combining functionality and style, Tim and his team offer a well-curated selection of products for both the city and the outdoors.
Follow Tim on Instagram @this.thing.of.ours
I’m Tim and I’m the founder and creative director at This Thing Of Ours.
Manchester is world-famous for a few things: Cotton, Music, Football & Rain, so all year round you need to be prepared for at least a little wet weather and more often a lot. If I get the option, then I’d prefer to walk somewhere, that isn’t always possible running a business but when it is… I’ll walk.
I’m wearing a pair of GTX Hoka Tor Ultra low from their collaboration with J.L-A.L, a brand we were proud to be the first stockist of in the UK. A pair of This Thing Of Ours x GOOPiMADE pants from our recent collaboration and a vintage Prada Sport GORE-TEX shell that I’ve owned since new.
Where and when did you get this... Do you have any special memories connected to this item? If you could go anywhere, where would you like to take this piece?
I bought it in Manchester, I think it was around 1999/2000 from a store I worked at whilst at University. I spent most of my first student loan payment on it lol. Definitely, this jacket reminds me of my time at University studying clothing design but also it was a time where technical clothing first really intersected high fashion and this period has been really important inspiration for me ever since. If I could go anywhere in the jacket, it would be back to 2000 for a night out with my friends from that time.
Maybe coming from Manchester, I'm biased, but I would say it isn’t a recent thing. It's always been there in the UK, and maybe that's why so many UK-based stores, brands, and people have been so influential in recent years. Globally I think there has been a higher awareness and there are lots of factors but the younger generation appreciating experiences and spending more time outdoors certainly plays a part.
For me personally comfort firstly means that something is fit for purpose; that purpose can obviously change, so a summer sandal is going to be comfortable for different reasons than a GTX shell jacket. In my opinion, people should think first about the activities they want to do and then match the garments to that. If you’re going to be spending time in the rain then keeping dry is going to be high on the priority list, being wet and cold and knowing you can’t do anything about it until you get home isn’t the one.
We just moved to a new store in the center of Manchester. As a small independent business, it's been a big move for us. We’re family-owned and operated which is getting rarer and rarer in the UK, so the next 6 months we’re excited to see the store develop, welcome new customers and take deliveries of all the new stuff we’ve got coming. We love product at the end of the day so nothing is better than getting new stock.
