Australian songwriter Ruel rarely spends money on expensive clothes—but when he does, “it’s a real special, spiritual moment.” The pop star shares his favourite spots to find luxury streetwear. Photograph by Michelle Grace Hunder
Less“Perks and Mini is one of my favourite brands. They’re all over the world now, but the Melbourne store was where I first heard about them. It’s really cool, understated luxury streetwear. It’s not too bougie. I have to say, every single thing I’ve got from here I wear very, very often.”
“Happy99 is a really cool little boutique with random knickknacks and collector’s items, a few cool T-shirts. It’s definitely got that cool-guy attitude where you always feel like ‘Do I belong here?’ but it just looks very nice, everything is so aesthetically pleasing and so perfectly curated. It’s really sick. Even if you look at the website, you’ll understand.”
“I bought a few things at TOXGO on my first trip to Japan. Basically all the clothing for the music video for ‘Not Thinkin’ Bout You’ I got in Harajuku, and TOXGO was one of the first stores that I just remember stuck out because it had really cool vintage Japanese high-end streetwear and other assorted pieces.”
“This is a Dickies x Brain Dead collab store that I think just opened up a year ago. It’s really hidden as well, it’s hard to find—you’ve got to know where it is, but that’s a really good spot if you’re in L.A.”
”I’m not even going to lie, I haven’t been to Galassia yet; I’ve just seen the website, but I was really meaning to go when I was last in Italy. I’ve seen lots of people who have gone there and said it was a really, really great store, so it might be a bit of a fake pick, but I’ve still put it in because I’ve been wanting to go.”
“Adererror has really great streetwear. I went to Korea for the first time in 2019, and oh my God, it is so cool. Seoul is like an understated version of Tokyo, fashion-wise. People walk on the street with so much swag, and the stores—every single store—all echelons from luxury down to everyday streetwear, it’s just all really, really beautiful pieces, and it’s so nicely curated.”
“HNTA is a great store. Nothing on Berlin, but I was surprised at how great the vintage and streetwear stores were there. I wasn’t expecting it to be so fashion-forward in certain parts. I remember I bought this Cold War top from HNTA that I wear so often. It’s like a turtleneck T-shirt that I absolutely love. I was pleasantly surprised with the assortment of clothes that was out there.”
“I went to Highs and Lows for the first time in 2018. It was super early on [in my career] and they gave me some free stuff, so I was stoked because that had never happened to me before. That was a big moment for my 16-year-old self.”