Urban Relics was born out of an extreme, almost obsessive love for y2k surf and skatewear. The owner and vintage enthusiast, Ben Troup said “I grew up wearing that kind of early 00’s and late 90’s clothing so it was really exciting for me specifically when that became popular again. It meant I’d be able to share the enjoyment that I used to get from wearing that stuff with a larger group of people.”
Ben let us know that in the early days, it was quite the challenge to find y2k skate brands like Quiksilver, Rip Curl, and Billabong because in Australia, a lot of those clothes had been worn to death by guys. “It was kind of a bummer to me because that’s what I love.” After much soul searching for many months, they finally found the perfect supplier, which means y2k enthusiasts all over South Australia can celebrate and get to enjoy a unique expression of vintage that isn’t easily accessible in Australia.
Ever since then, their style has only expanded to more brands like Abercrombie and Fitch and paved the way for more 90’s hip hop styles. Some of the many reasons they love these brands and eras are because of the distinct high quality and heavy weight “they’ve got the perfect y2k distressing, you know, back in the day before skinny jeans”. Grandpa will admit, he still can’t quite wrap his head around the distressed clothes, but it’s clear that the younger generation certainly do!
Often grandpa will see Gen Zers and Alpha sporting the look, people “who kind of look at the early 2000s style, didn’t necessarily live it themselves, but really idolize that time period and the influence that it had on modern day culture. Then there’s also people more like me who are kind of a very late Gen Z/early millennial who are like hella nostalgic over that type of stuff. We’re just excited to get to wear it again because that’s what we grew up wearing.”
Trading for the last two years exclusively at My Dead Grandpa in Adelaide’s CBD, it’s obvious why they are a staple at any MDG pop up.
One of the things Urban is really proud of is the unique way that it feels inside the store. They intentionally built the layout with the idea of a slam down octagon. So if you’ve ever gone in there with dreams of throwing in the chair, we don’t blame you! But please don’t start any fights, it’ll make grandpa sad. The bold design is a fun and creative artistic nod to a lot of people who would remember the Tapout era and the WWE era.
Urban Relics have future plans to include more local models and grow the signature lookbook of the early 2000s on their instagram page so if you’re ever in store or stalking online, don’t be a stranger and be sure to follow along on the journey!
