Behind the rise of Cowpeople at Glasgow's Barras Market

The Herald Scotland

2 days ago

The Herald is profiling the best of The Barras Market in Glasgow's East End for our new series, 'The Barras Reborn.'
Here is our conversation with the woman behind the American and queer-owned cowboy shop taking The Barras by storm.
De Biasse, who is from Morris County, New Jersey, moved to Glasgow in 2016, at a time when the United States 'was undergoing a big political shift,' in her words.
De Biasse says it took some time to find her place in Scotland.
'I didn't feel like I took all my life with me,' she says. 'There was a gap after Covid and I was remote working. It was time to make a big change.'
De Biasse moved to Glasgow in 2016, and began collecting boots soon after. (Image: Gordon Terris) As a way to cope with her new environment, De Biasse began collecting cowboy apparel with religious fervour.
'I began to collect cowboy stuff because I missed home. I met so many amazing people, and my collection got larger and larger.
'I remember thinking that I wasn't wearing all of it, so I should try and sell them or give them away,' she recalls.
'So I rented a table at The Barras. It was supposed to just be for a weekend, but the response was immediate. I sold out of everything I had by the end of the first day.
'At first, I thought the novelty wouldn't be sustainable, but it just kept going. We have a team of six now and are launching a new website to allow us to be able to ship apparel across the UK and EU.
'It's been a really fast and exciting period of growth. The Barras is quite an interesting place to run a business. It's been a trial by fire,' she jokes.
Cowpeople has taken off on social media, boasting 14.4k followers on Instagram and partnering with beloved soft drink Irn-Bru in a recent ad campaign.
For De Biasse, who identifies as a member of the queer community, the business is about reclaiming a cultural phenomenon.
'That's the whole point,' she says when I ask her if she hopes her business can counteract the negative global perception generated by Americans in recent years.
'As a queer person, this is a reclamation project. Western wear is really interesting because it is worn by both ultra conservatives and liberal and queer people.
'In the past, I found it difficult to find my footing as a queer person. I went to Pride, but I don't really enjoy parades. Even at other queer-owned businesses, I always felt like a bit of an imposter.'
De Biasse's team are all Americans, or 'honorary' Americans. (Image: Gordon Terris)
De Biasse tells me that Cowpeople is intended to bring people together, regardless of their beliefs or identities.
'We work really hard to be generally inclusive and intersectional. All of our staff are members of the queer community. You'll see trans youth shopping alongside straight old men from the Opry.
'It's good because we are sometimes asked questions about our political leanings and about things like pronouns. It's great to have really meaningful conversations with our audience. Far too often with algorithms, we get siloed on social media.'
The recent Irn-Bru campaign, which De Biasse concedes was a 'big deal', helped to solidify their growing customer base.
In May, Irn-Bru posted on Instagram: 'This town IS big enough for the both of us. IRN-BRU have teamed up with the iconic Cowpeople to bring you something totally BRU-nique.
'Look out for limited edition BROOTIN' TOOTIN' IRN-BRU bandanas available ONLY at Cow People in Glasgow's Barras Market, while stocks last!
'Saddle up - it's time to quickdraw a can and head to the Wild West!'
De Biasse has partnered with Irn-Bru in recent months. (Image: Gordon Terris) Cowpeople's success is helped by its domination of the vintage cowboy apparel market.
'We're the only western wear store in Scotland, so people come from all over Europe to visit,' De Biasse says.
'We get tourists from all over the place. Last week, a family from Norway visited and a girl from Spain flew in. People from Berlin come all the time.'
Asked what the future holds for Cowpeople, De Biasse says she would like to expand further, and eventually, open a location in the United States.
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'We are really excited about launching our website next week. We've received so many DMs asking if we can ship items, and now we will be able to.
'It seems that every month and every year, the business levels up. So we are open to a different way of doing things and new possibilities.
'One day there will be multiple locations, and one in America, which feels full circle in a way. We want to bring that queer job back to a place that really needs it.
'One of my friends told me: ' You need to party to be able to protest,' and I think the road is open now. I'm ready to get involved.'