However, by stepping in through the backdoor, the visitor discovers a unique, hidden marketplace where shopping, skateboarding, coffee-drinking, dancing or whatever else you can think of occurs. The idea for a backdoor-market-themed laundromat (in which all kinds of activities but laundry washing happen) came last year, during the preparations for our first runway show collection. There were a few remaining pieces that needed to be stonewashed. Due to constraints of time, we did not manage to send them to Lithuania, where it would have been done professionally. Instead, we decided to do it ourselves, using scrub stones in the shared laundromat of our friend’s apartment building. This rather unconventional method left us with significant consequences. Soon after our little scheme, the owner of the property had posted on Facebook that he was in search of the culprit who had damaged the washing machines with… rocks (the photo from the post can be seen below…). The police were to be involved if the responsible party hadn't come forward. Of course we owned up to it, but it cost us 4600 Euros - a gift and a curse, since now we had five broken & rusted washing machines at our disposal. Thus, this signifies the inauguration of “Laundry House” - a place for major or minor fuck-ups, for everything but proper behaviour.

Upon entering the pop-up and leaving the laundromat behind, the visitor quite literally enters the BACK-door-market - a streetwear store, a community space, a cafe, and a mini music venue that represents the Latvian urban scene. First thing that is met with the eye is the skate spot, built by Mind Work Ramps - the leading skatepark builders in the Baltics. Anyone is welcome to skate and land a trick in the store. The ramp has undergone a serious graffiti pimp-up, and brings the outdoor atmosphere inside. The man behind the skate zone is our very own Arturs "Mr.Boga" Bogdanovics. Backdoor Market is proud to support Boga, who, alongside being a professional skateboarder, is a core member of the team and gives free skate lessons for kids at the shop, provided by Balcia Insurance.

Something new is the separate Backdoor Skateboarding line that is meant to please the modern skater with clothing pieces, accessories and our first hardgoods. We have put Riga's femme fatale Agnija Grigule on our very first skateboard deck. Together with Mr.Boga we have developed a baggy corduroy pant featuring his customised version of Spriditis - the most legendary Latvian folklore character who leaves his family and goes into the world in search of happiness.

Right beside the skate ledge is our self-made cement table, meant to be a co-working space, as well as a spot for shared meals, drinks and meetings. A week after our launch party, we had an oysters & wine night on this very cement table, followed by a live piano performance; free and open to all. Kalve Coffee Roasters bar stands next to it, serving visitors the best coffee that can be ordered all across Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Also the first batch of Backdoor Market labelled wine bottles is available for purchase. The coffee and drinks aspect transforms the supposed plain store ambiance into a space for meetings and exchanges, thereby encouraging people to return back and become part of the Backdoor Market community.

The collection that is presented in the store is Backdoor Market’s reflection on the historically iconic, regional and personal symbols that have made their way into the communal, Eastern European memory. The items in the collection “Laundry House'' embody and showcase certain patterns from past experiences, be it skating in the local park with friends, watching cartoons on an old TV or reading all about Paris Hilton in the tabloids at the time. In limited quantities, they transfer youth ideals to the present day, a time which can be soaked in corruption, laundering and backdoor activities.

Thus, collaboration is the way to move forward. Together with the Latvian artist Aleksandrs Breže, we have made limited edition ashtrays, but working closely with the Rotterdam-based NEGATIVE FEED we have produced unique baseball caps. RO Studio has come along to create the silver jewellery and BMT workshop has helped us to realise our personalised clothing racks and unique stockroom shelves.

Simultaneously, we are presenting a capsule collection that is more casual and accessible to all - with each coming season, we try to enlarge the assortment as much as we can, but that depends on our financial and physical capacity. Building on our previous designs, we have worked with what we had and more - now, there is a certain Backdoor Market silhouette for the jackets, as well as an embellished metallic logo for the pants. Backdoor Market has landed on its phase II - ready to present itself to an audience that seeks authenticity and faithfulness in what they wear.

Considering that some of the designs are made from up-cycled materials and zero-waste techniques, we continuously campaign for a greener fashion industry in the Baltics. Henceforth, the laundromat is meant to showcase the excessive water consumption that takes place in this sector. Even though Backdoor Market does not encourage using stones in your own cleaning routine, the machines are there to conceptually remind the visitors of the polluting nature of the fashion industry.

Currently, Backdoor Market is headed in a different direction - being the only sustainable streetwear brand in the Baltics, thanks to our long-term manufacturing methods and choice of materials, we have evolved to be a committed streetwear community, movement, platform and brand that makes street culture events, clothing and accessories by focusing on zero-waste and repurposing methods. This results in decreased pollution and overproduction in the fashion industry within the Baltics.

VISIT BACKDOOR MARKET X KALVE COFFEE ROASTERS POP-UP!
PĒRSES IELA 2A, RIGA, LATVIA, LV-1011

I Closed
II 10-20
III 10-20
IV 10-20
V 10-00
VI 10-00
VII 10-18