Why Visit I Love Ugly at The Crossing
Premium Streetwear, Standout Service, and Pieces You’ll Keep Coming Back For
I Love Ugly at The Crossing is Christchurch’s home for the internationally recognised New Zealand streetwear label, offering a carefully curated range of premium menswear alongside a customer experience that goes well beyond the rack. Led by Store Manager Chan, the team is passionate about the product and genuinely invested in helping every customer find something they’ll love. Here are three reasons to visit.
1. Premium Streetwear with a Cult Following – At a Price That Makes Sense
I Love Ugly is a globally recognised brand built on the idea that high-end style shouldn’t come at an inaccessible price point.
Founded in Auckland in 2008, I Love Ugly – known to its loyal customers as ILU – has grown from a bedroom art project into a brand worn by the likes of A$AP Rocky, Kanye West, and Justin Bieber, and stocked exclusively through its own stores. The Christchurch store at The Crossing brings that full brand experience to the South Island, with a range that spans considered everyday basics, tailored pants, hoodies, outerwear, and accessories.
The current collection includes standout pieces like the cropped zip hood and the crop box tee – versatile items that Chan, the store’s Manager, describes as perfect for both men and women looking to wear ILU and still look great. Everything is designed with ILU’s signature philosophy of sophisticated simplicity: understated, high quality, and built to last.
ILU’s direct-to-consumer model means you’ll only find this product in ILU’s own stores – making a visit to The Crossing the only way to experience the full Christchurch range in person.
2. A Team That Genuinely Helps You Find the Right Fit
The staff at I Love Ugly Christchurch bring real expertise and enthusiasm to every customer interaction.
Store Manager Chan has spent over a decade in retail leadership, including nearly ten years at Cotton On and time at Huffer, before joining ILU. That experience shows in how the team approaches the shop floor. “When someone comes in not quite knowing what they want, I love helping them explore what we have and going on that journey with them,” Chan says – “then seeing them leave feeling confident and excited with something they didn’t even realise they were looking for.”
It’s an approach that turns a casual browse into a genuinely rewarding experience, and it reflects the store’s broader commitment to the kind of service that keeps people coming back. Chan’s team also brings an empathetic, people-first outlook: a reminder that every customer interaction is an opportunity to make someone’s day a little better.
Whether you know exactly what you’re after or you’re still figuring it out, the team at I Love Ugly The Crossing will meet you where you are and help you leave with something you’re genuinely excited about.
3. A Shopping Experience Grounded in Meaning, Not Just Style
I Love Ugly’s Christchurch store is run by a team who care as much about the people they serve as the product they sell.
What sets this store apart is the culture Chan has built within it. She speaks candidly about the connections formed through retail – the lifelong friendships, the inspiring leaders, and the small but meaningful moments with customers that make the job worthwhile. Her passion for mentoring young people, shaped by years of supporting team members through challenges big and small, gives the store an energy that feels different from a typical fashion retailer.
“The customer interactions are special,” she says, “and hopefully making a positive difference with a small interaction.” That ethos – rooted in empathy, quality, and a genuine care for people – runs through everything the team does, from the way they fold the product to the way they greet you at the door.
I Love Ugly at The Crossing is more than a place to shop – it’s a store with real heart behind it, and it shows.