Culture
ADIDAS ORIGINALS FW'23: Razz Ashraf & the Spirit of Manchester
25 September 2023Celebrating adidas Originals’ FW'23 collection, we sat down with Razz Ashraf to discuss originality and the cultural importance of his home city, Manchester.
There are few cities globally that have made as significant cultural impact as Manchester. From the heady days of acid house and the infamous Haçienda to the slew of cutting-edge, genre-defining bands that hail from the city, Manchester has long been synonymous with the unapologetic and the original.
Razz is an individual who embodies this spirit of Manchester in everything he does — he works as a Digital Journalist for BBC Sport, owns his own natural wine business, Vin De Bodega and is even about to harvest his own honey through his time spent as a beekeeper. “I’m born and raised in Manchester, a city that’s played a pivotal part in my essence of life and interactions. I’m a Manc through and through and it’s something I wear on my sleeve everywhere I go.”, said Razz, when the topic of his home city comes up.
It’s long been renowned as a city where culture and creativity is incubated, something which has had an indelible impact on Razz’s creative outlook: “the city has played an integral part in my creative outlook, whether that’s the way I interact with people or the understanding that there were generations before me who created beauty here. Tapping into the likes of Tony Wilson, The Stone Roses, Oasis, Factory Records, the way people dress, the way Mancs walk, the graft that was being put in in the factories and mills before the coffee shops in Ancoats took over. It’s everything”.
From music to fashion, the city’s originality is something that’s infectiously spread far and wide. For Razz, it’s something that comes down to being unafraid of experimentation: “us Mancs know a fair amount on how to dress accordingly, whether that’s wearing a parka jacket with your best pair of jeans and Sambas, or wearing baggy jeans, an oversized t-shirt and some Superstars, we make these outfits our own and wear them with our chests held high. People aren’t afraid to experiment here without being judged and that’s an ode to the city”. On the topic of adidas, a brand that’s resonated deeply with the city and the people of Manchester for decades, Razz said “I feel like it’s a brand that resonates with the working-class man. You see the likes of Liam Gallagher and Ian Brown sporting OG Gazelle’s and Spezial with garments”.
"I want to bring people together from all different walks of life and hubs. People in the fashion industry, media, artists, musicians, gallery owners, beekeepers. You name it”
It's this creativity and individuality that Razz pours into his business, Vin De Bodega, which was founded in 2020 alongside some of his close friends. When speaking about his business and what it brings to the city of Manchester, Razz said “Vin De Bodega started with my growing love of natural wine and the winemakers who create the juice. Noticing there was a gap in the market in Manchester, I wanted to create a business that not only helped to educate people on natural wine but also to use the wine to bring people together”. Wine drinking is a culture that’s steadily shifting in perception, largely due to the influx of the natural wine movement that’s found steam in recent years. When speaking about this, Razz states it’s all about placing an emphasis on community and togetherness over the exclusivity often associated with this world. “Community is everything. The reason the business was named Vin De Bodega is an ode to the bodegas in New York neighbourhoods. They are places for where the community go to get the necessities/food and are hotspots for the members of the community to come to and interact together. That essence is what I always am conscious of when curating the vibe around the brand. I want it to be community focused. I want to bring people together from all different walks of life and hubs. People in the fashion industry, media, artists, musicians, gallery owners, beekeepers. You name it”.
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