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BY Jane Vick apparel, sourced by a company whose motto is “own fewer, better things.” I spent a long time with one of my favorite Standard & Strange employees, a pink-haired, pinstriped angel named Krista, designing and accessorizing my dream three-piece suit. Moving back to California in 2020—pandemic placement—I found out that Standard & Strange has a location in Oakland as well, actually their flagship store. I gleefully hopped on the website and began exploring the history. It’s pretty special.
EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
The Standard and the Strange: A beginning
For Standard & Strange, things began in 2012 in an Oakland back-alley. Founders Niel Berrett and Jeremy Smith had been making their own cycling jerseys, and started a store which ultimately went under but gave them the taste and the information necessary to move into their second iteration. Recognizing the need in Oakland for a shop that sold quality clothes with a quality attitude, they moved into their first location: a converted municipal stable that had fallen into disuse as
PHOTO BY NEIL BERRET
y introduction to Standard & Strange began several years ago while living in Santa Fe. I worked for Iconik Coffee Roasters at the time—a must-visit to anyone passing through le Fe—and we had a location nestled in Collected Works Bookstore just off the plaza. Also a must visit! Really what I’m saying is drop everything and go to Santa Fe immediately. Every day, without fail, a group of devastatingly well-dressed people would come in for an espresso, or an Americano, until I finally had to ask who left the faucet on. Thus my introduction to a world of thoughtfully curated, classic, exceedingly drippy
A Tale of timeless fashion
