Indigo & Cloth
A Dublin Based Menswear Store, Branding Studio and Cafe.
I had seen the name ‘Indigo & Cloth’ pop up in various social media streams prior to my initial visit. The one that caught my attention was their Instagram. They are high quality, design-influenced and product focused. They caused me to pause and find out — “Who created these wonderful products?”
Indigo and Cloth is a combination of product experiences that lead you to this unified cohesive experience from its creator, Garrett. They have influenced and crafted some of the most beautiful experiences in Dublin, such as the stunning restaurant Angelina’s and The Dean Hotel.
As you walk into the Store at 9 Essex Street East, Temple Bar, you are overwhelmed by the products, staff and fresh coffee aroma that greets you. There is an immediate sense that this space influences Garrett’s creativity across the Indigo and Cloth’s offerings. Being surrounded with highly curated, expertly crafted products demands the same creativity and imagination from the branding arm of his business.
Initial Perspective
Discovering Indigo & Cloth’s Morals
I began having an understanding of the Indigo & Cloth brand solely through their Instagram posts. I hadn’t visited their store yet. The posts consisted of beautiful products and men’s outfit pairings that matched perfectly together.
Looking closer at the different products, I began to realise that they spent a lot of time and effort making these curated product selections. They intimately cared.
The sheer attention to detail struck me as very rare. We felt that what they were doing completely fitted in line with what we wanted to accomplish at The Crafted — to highlight companies who cared about what they were showcasing and producing for the world.
I always keep a list of the products I’m eager to try. I curate this list vigorously myself to ensure only the really great products remain on it. One product that made the cut was Marvis toothpaste. I had seen it recommended by some great designers including Andrew Kim and I really wanted to take it for a spin. The perfect excuse, I noticed Indigo & Cloth stocked it.
The Store
Beautifully Designed Products with Freshly Brewed Coffee
As you walk in you are greeted with the aroma of freshly brewing coffee and smiles from well-dressed gentlemen. You almost breathe a sigh of relief. You are now surrounded by hand-crafted products, coffee and conversation.
There is no sense of immediacy like in other stores, where you feel an impulse to immediately browse. Sit down, grab a flat white and flick through some design magazines before you start to review some beautifully designed products.
The coffee bar area of the shop is a collaboration between Indigo and Cloth and the guys at Clement and Pekoe. Yes, there was a lot of ‘and’s in that sentence but, needless to say the coffee is exceptional. I would place Clement and Pekoe as one of the best coffee shops in Dublin.
Once I’d finished my coffee and enjoyed your conversations with the guys it was time to browse the products on offer.
Downstairs has a selection of household and other smaller items including the Marvis toothpaste I was dying to try. They had also stored one of the products my wife had bought me some years ago that I fell completely in love with, the Instrmnt 01-A watch.
Upstairs is the menswear selection. The products are so well chosen that I began noting names of brands to ensure I could read up on them later. It’s through Indigo & Cloth that I discovered brands like Norse and Sunspel.
Branding Studio
A Branding Studio That Conceives and Produces Creative Ideas
When you visit the store you begin to understand the branding arm of what Indigo & Cloth does.
Founded in 2007, the Indigo & Cloth store curates a thoughtful selection of international and local products. True to the personality of the company, we aim to work with those who reflect our qualities and values.
Garrett and his team believe in something that is very close to what I believe in at MiniCorp. There are enough ill-designed products in the world where the primary objective is revenue. Our app stores, computers and lives are filled with unnecessary products.
Indigo and Cloth pour their hearts into the selection of products in their store for two reasons. To provide customers like me with an exceptionally curated showcase of products to choose from but also to ensure their inspiration lives on.
The branding arm of Indigo and Cloth is so closely knit to the store aspect that the sense of being surrounded with highly crafted and designed products filters through into the branding arm.
Photography by Nathalie Marquez Courtney.
