Benson wears our recently released Track Pullover in Vanilla, the classic Mandarin Shirt in Black, and the Denim Mid Rise Zespy in Old School Blue. We stopped by Benson’s home in Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand, to check out his growing collection of ILU, and talk all good things Wellington.

ILU: Hey Benson, kick things off by taking us through what you do at I Love Ugly, and how long you’ve been with the team…

Thanks guys. I’ve now worked at I Love Ugly, based out of the Wellington Store for just over three years now, and these three years have been the some of the best so far. I joined the Wellington Team as a fresh 18 year old, who had just completed his first year of university, and was nowhere close to finding a true direction in life. Since then, I have held fort at the Wellington Store, working midweek shifts, but I generally find my way down there on weekends to hang out for a bit and see the rest of the team!

ILU: As a team member out of our Wellington flagship store, what’s it like living and working out of Wellington – New Zealand’s capital city?

Wellington to me, and possibly to many others is the center of creativity, design, and culture within New Zealand. The same can be said for the customers, and interactions that I have had out of the store, with each and every day incorporating a massive range of yarns, hang-outs, and widening of the design collective. Outside of the store, I like to spend most of my time getting out and about, having weekly catchups with friends, exploring Wellington with my girlfriend, and otherwise doing my best to maintain a healthy lifestyle. My favourite spots in Wellington include Caffe L'affare for a quick brunch and meeting zone, Maranui Café out by Lyall Bay when I want to get away, and of course the time-worn MOJO Café hiding just above the Wellington Store. Even by maintaining a routine of such things as eating and drinking, I have created awesome friendships and relationships with the staff at each of these spots, so the conversations and interactions also really highlight the beauty of these places!

When I’m wanting to remove myself from the hustle and bustle of the city, there are a few key spots in Wellington that have become regular chill areas in the past. Examples include getting all the mates together and having a beach fire on the south coast, having the sun come down at the Strathmore Bunkers, and otherwise finding all the hidden locations spread throughout the Town Belt.

ILU: Over the years you’ve been collecting and preserving a tonne of ILU – from vintage pieces, to origin art, take us through your first interactions with the brand, and you’re ever-going collection of ILU…

Sheesh – where to begin. Certainly a bulk of my collection includes the releases from 2014 onwards, yet my first interactions with the brand began around halfway through high-school. I can clearly remember others in my year group discussing the opening of the Wellington pop-up store in 2012, and then it must have been in the next few weeks that I finally made my way down. Back then, the store was completely white, with racks complete with the old patterns, and one of the original leather backpacks hanging in the window. From that point I fell in love with the aesthetic, and the culture, but most importantly I knew that one day it would be amazing if I could work for the design label.

ILU: As a seasoned ILU head what’s some of your all-time favourite pieces?

Some of my favourite pieces include the 2014 Football World Cup Capsule Collection, the original 5-panel caps and other subsequent prints, the small flag patterned garments, the Koi shorts, and my much loved Edmund Boots. In my room, I’ve collected some of the limited prints that have been produced and other items such as the store-rug, and limited release garments. Some of my most loved pieces I have packed up to keep them in prime condition, and these include the hockey jersey of 2013/14, the original baseball jersey, and the Rugby World Cup Polo which released in 2015.

ILU: We’ve just dropped the Nelson Low, our debut sneaker, and the Daisies Collection, take us through some of your favourite pieces…

This most recent release, the Daisies Collection, is one of my favourite so far. Furthermore the muted colours covering most of the spectrum, along with the lighter weighted garments designed for the impending New Zealand summer have made for some awesome pickups. The tracksuit has been a longtime coming, followed by the Sea Foam Harley Hood (staple at this time of year in my wardrobe), and most importantly the Nelson Lows, each all complementing nearly any and every outfit – whether it be with the intention of dressing up or down. The attention to detail in each piece of this collection is also insane, whether it be the gold-foil stamp on the shoes, or the hidden tags on the tees, I feel as if these garments continue to surprise me each time I wear them. Once again, this collection has managed to hark back to the heritage of the brand, with the release of the Patched Harley Hood and Mid Rise Zespy, as well as the patches being independently purchasable. Certainly a definable ‘New Zealander’ aspect too with the Southern Cross, and Tongariro Patches.

ILU: Like most at ILU, you’re a massive football nut, take us through your life in football…

In my life, football has played a major role as being part of a Dutch family, both immediate and wider. I used to play as a child until my first years of high-school but then discovered one of two things; first that I wasn’t amazing at the sport, and secondly that I probably had a better knack for running track. So after my first year of high-school I turned to track and focused on that for the remainder of my time there. By my final year, I had developed my skills enough to potentially look into using it as a ticket to tertiary education but then I had a wee motorcycle accident, and a culmination of three knee surgeries, and then ta da, I never ran track again haha.

That certainly adjusted my perception on life, but a benefit was that I turned back to football, however just in a different role. I took up refereeing, and found that it was more enjoyable than I had ever thought. Of course, most people probably think “oh here’s that w$%@&?” when a referee turns up for a match, but once you get past that stigma and understand both the game and players then playing your part in the beautiful game is pretty rewarding. Now and then, players that I have refereed both here in Wellington and abroad will recognise me in store, and football often easily becomes a topic of conversation!

ILU: Music is a massive part of I Love Ugly’s makeup with almost all our team having dabbled in music in some sense. How does music influence your day to day?

Simply by working in the store environment, I am influenced by the variety of music that is played on a daily basis. The cool thing about our store is that each of us who works here has a different music taste and this can be attested to the different vibes and tunes throughout the day. This makes interactions with our store even more enjoyable, as it’s not always the same beats played on repeat (which would make me go mad!). The other neat thing is that often customers have recommended artists and music, that more often than not may become part of my personal tracks, or the store playlist at some point along the way. Outside of the store, my phone is currently filled with 3000+ songs, so it’s certainly hard to pinpoint a particular genre or favourite artist!

ILU: Take us through what a typical day for you looks like? What are you reading, what do you keep updated with on a daily basis?

Waking up around 7. Check the notifications that pile up on my phone (sleep with Airplane Mode on to remove myself from the connected age at night-times), then prepare for the day. Each day may be different, but generally speaking I am either rebounding between university and the Wellington Store, or my other jobs here and there.

My studies focused heavily on the classical world, and so my personal reading tends to rotate around this; whether it be the ancient texts and accounts of the Roman Republic and Empire (Cicero, Plutarch), to secondary scholarship and historical novels. Other than that, I really enjoy keeping up to date with technology, especially the advancements in renewable energy (Elon Musk), as well as maintaining up to date with the latest fashion and design fronts whether it be clothing, architecture, art and so forth.

Head to bed around 10:30/11 – resting up before getting stuck in the very next day!