Gio-Goi Review

Where is it?

Next door to Barratts Shoes

Manchester Arndale

Market Street

www.gio-goi.com

Gio-Goi

History

After years of knocking around concessions of stores such as Bank and Ark republic, Gio-Goi has finally got a Manchester premises to call their own.

The Donnelly brothers grew up in Manchester in the 80s, fully primed to immerse themselves in Manchester’s clubbing scene. But when they noticed the fallacy of the brands on the sweat-soaked T-shirts of Hacienda ravers, they felt there was an injustice to be put right.

“Gio was born out of the acid house era when there were a lot of brands around trying to say they were a part of it and weren’t,” said co-founder, Chris Donnelly.

“We were trying to right a wrong basically.”

So in 1988 they conceived Gio-Goi, a clothing brand designed to become truly synonymous with the city’s lifestyle. Their newest shop opened in Manchester today.

“Gio was born out of the acid house era when there were a lot of brands around trying to say they were a part of it and weren’t.”

What does it sell?

The new store sells a lot of what you expect, and some of what you don’t. The striking and easily recognisable branding of Gio-Goi rings true throughout the store. The notorious t-shirts in bold yellows, blacks and blues with sharp and upfront graphics are aplenty amongst the consistent styling of sweatshirts and carrot cut jeans.

However, it’s not entirely centred on heavily branded tees, as store Manager Jai explained: “People perceive Gio-Goi as just a t-shirt with branding; we want people to notice the smart clothing on offer. It’s more about the finer pieces.”

Gio-Goi Interior

Indeed, the first bunch of products on show are pieces of more subtle design; small logoed cardigans and tidy button-up tops, some akin to what you might find in AllSaints. But they are small pickings by comparison to the rest of the items on show which continue to be extraordinarily popular with city youngsters.

Prices range from around £20 for big-branded tees to £65 for toned down knitted hoodies, competing well with neighbouring stores of the same ilk such as Bank and Republic.

Who shops there?

You only have to take a brief look at the makeup of the shop to work it out.  The large neon Gio-Goi sign and large steel fittings protruding  from false brick walls show the shop is clearly motivated toward young people who take a shine to strong, modern, urban motifs in their fashion choices.

Perhaps the less the clothes stay so heavily branded and the more they move towards softer designs, the greater appeal they’ll have for patrons of an earlier generation.

Gio-Goi Manchester

Future

This is the first store to open in England - two stores in Scotland were opened last year - and it’s a long awaited homecoming for the brand that was born in Manchester. Possibly sooner than we know it more stores will be popping up in other city centres.

Verdict

It’s in a good location and will definitely hit the right buttons for the majority of its target audience.