Introducing Bukki Ojo, Fashion Entrepeneur and Founder of Vintage Sportswear Brand 90ZBACK

Could you please introduce yourself, and how you first got into the fashion industry?

“My name is Bukki Ojo. I first got into fashion through my own brand: Bukki, which focused on reworkedvintage denim. This was whilst I was studying my masters in Fashion Entrepreneurship at UAL College of Fashion.

So at 21, I would study in the week and then sell vintage denim pieces on the weekends. When I had sold off all the stock, I reinvested my profits based on customer requirements; this included windbreakers, sports jackets and sweatshirts etc. 90ZBACK is this.”

Where did the name 90ZBACK come from?

“It actually came from neighbour stalls – when I was away from the stall they would call out ‘The 90s are back, 90s are back’. Once I identified that my speciality was specifically 90s sportswear the name 90ZBACK stuck.”

What makes your vintage store different from many other vintage stores emerging on the scene?

“What I’ve found with vintage stores, is that there’s a tendency for them to be messy… and smelly. It makes it hard for customers to show. In terms of vintage clothing, the online sector is already booming, I realised to make sure the retail sector was popping to – I needed to find a solution.

This solution was to create a curated shopping experience. Where a customer will come in, and find exactly what they’re after. My visual merchandising does exactly this; extremely neat organisation, colour coding, and modern aesthetics.

Also, everything in my store in unisex. So when customers come into my store there’s no segregation and everyone can try on whatever they like. 90ZBACK is for all.”

Why do you think there’s a trend for vintage/nostalgic clothing recently?

“Vintage has always been popular, because consumers love nostalgia. But recently the influences of street designers, such as Virgil Abloh and other influential people, have made sportswear a trend. Sportswear that’s not only for the gym, but for fashion.”

Why did you choose London as the location for the flagship store?

“London is where I started out on various markets, and Shoreditch is a notorious hub for vintage fashion. I also have plans to open up in Berlin soon, as there’s a huge demand for vintage fashion over there.”

I also work with smaller vendors and businesses in order to provide a platform for them. I’m all about collaboration, and raising profiles of other amazing resellers. For example, I have suppliers from France to Liverpool, and I’m always on the search for new businesses to collaborate with.”