#concept stores

Streetwear vets, Crooks & Castles, has made its return to Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, with the launch of a new concept flagship store.

“It feels great to be back on the block”, a rep for the brand says.

Within Crooks’ new concept, customers get an exclusive experience where they can get exclusive drops, collabs and collections, including the brand’s Core Logo line, iconic Medusa graphics and Cut & Sew pieces.

Crooks & Castles will also offer exclusive art produced by famous contemporary street artists, as well as a pieces from our Crooks limited edition art collection.

The new concept store will also serve as a hub for Crooks event. Most recenlty, they hosted an event with Death Row Records to celebrate their recent Crooks x Death Row Records collab.

’It’s 12 O’clock’‘ fashion story para Maple Magazine.

Fotografía por Gerardo Meneses.

Styling, hair and make up por Fabiola Botelo.

Zapatos de Rhoea Studio.

Vestido up de Liz Campos.

Aretes de Aguamarina México.

Modelo Abril Bottini de New Icon.

Ciudad de México, Febrero 2k19.

On my radar: Acephala

Every so often a label appears out of nowhere that piques my interest. Acephala is one of them. A four-year-old Polish brand that’s rooted in women’s rights with conceptual inspirations that are more wonky than worthy.

For example, its SS18 collection entitled ‘on how to be creative and not get mad’ championed ‘work wear’ pieces in Japanese denim, virgin wool and anti-crease tech fabrics.…

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Over the past few years we have seen more and more ‘Concept Stores’ pop-up around the world.  It seems with online shopping becoming increasingly the preferred option amongst consumers, brands are having to work harder to attract new and returning custom, and are rising to the challenge in ever-more interesting ways.

The term concept store refers to a shop selling not just a product or series of products, but a collection of items pertaining to a lifestyle. They can be experiential in their offering, showcase new or exclusive product, or can be created in collaboration with another brand, but they must always offer the individual some sort of insight into the brand’s personality.  They can become beacons of a brand, a way to showcase its values, ethos and inspiration, and represent a way for consumers to directly communicate with that brand in its own space. 

Often, brands will work with architects and interior designers to create a space which tells the story of the brand and its product in an interesting, engaging way. Many shops build an experiential element into the shop, giving attendees something to physically engage with, something that gets them deeper into the ethos or thinking behind a brand.  Such activity can be very valuable to a brand. Offering the consumer a product, service or experience for free is a great way to win brand loyalty and therefore custom.

House of Peroni, WMSH

In the past, we have worked with the House of Peroni, a concept store-come-event space. The main premise of the concept store is to showcase and celebrate Italian culture and the talent that the country produces.  The House is open for one month, in central London, with new and exciting artists and designers showcasing their works each year. 

Recently, one of the main objectives of the concept store has been to showcase who a brand knows, enjoys, and is associated with.  For example, designers will often work in areas to exhibit art and fashion within the space, and some even dedicate areas to the live creation of work to add an additional element of theatre.

The benefits of such collaboration can be huge for brands.  It’s about seeing and being seen with the latest creatives, influencers, and social media personalities to create another way to showcase the brand’s personality.  Brands are also able to piggyback fans and followers of those that they showcase in the store, using these fans to bolster their own fan engagement and hopefully convert them to fans of their own. 

M&S Shwopping, WMSH

A few years ago, we worked with M&S to launch its Shwopping campaign.  As part of the launch event, M&S worked with the London College of Fashion to create a fashion lab dedicated to giving new life to unwanted clothing.  The store hosted debates, and lectures with leading personalities in the ethical fashion world.  It also hosted workshops and events with of-the-minute fashion designers, helping to associate the brand with current faces, and in turn drawing new interest and custom from an entirely new audience. 

Social media can play a huge role in concept stores and their success.  Those that are most visible work with production teams and designers, to create beautiful, photogenic spaces, that visitors feel compelled to photograph and share via social media.  Stores will often look to new trends in fashion and design when creating their spaces, and it’s this sort of association with other creative forms which can help to catapult a pop-up to glory. 

Knorr Eat Your Feed, WMSH

But concept stores needn’t just be the realm of fashion brands – recently we worked with Knorr to create a concept restaurant space at Jones & Sons in London.  Knorr had developed a new app which takes information from a user’s Instagram feed, whereupon an algorithm uses this to suggest recipes that may appeal to their personality, interests and travels.  We created a pop-up restaurant space, which showcased the brand’s personality and the idea of memories alongside ingredients used to create Knorr’s products through cabinets of curiosities, installations full of spices and pulses and so on.  The concept restaurant helped to tie the live dining experience to social media through the app and through guests sharing images from the event. 

Need more concept store info? Try these:

Gucci Garden, Florence, Nous, Paris , LN:CC, Gentle Monster and Zhongshuge, Yangzhou

by Megan John / @MeganWMSH

I start by showing you something new (or at least it was new for me, since this store did not exist last time I went in Paris- it opened last September). A new concept store in Paris that enriches the already rich range of designer and decor shops in the city. Yes, when I see these kind of things, I dream about living there again!

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Ritorno da Parigi parlandovi come sempre un po’ di quanto visto, sia in città che alla fiera Maison et Objet.

Oggi comincio mostrandovi una novità (o almeno lo è per me, visto che non c’era ancora lo scorso anno – ha aperto lo scorso settembre) che arricchisce ancora di più il panorama già davvero ampio di concept store e negozi di design e decor in centro a Parigi. Sì, quando vedo queste cose vorrei tornare a viverci, confermo.

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Empreintes is a concept store in Paris,

located in the Haute Marais area, it is dedicated to French craft.

600 square meters on four floors, filled with over 1000 masterpieces by artists and artisans from French workshops. It’s the ideal place if you want to find some really interesting an unique,  beautiful ceramics, everything in a bright interior space designed with great attention to detail.

In recent months at Empreintes you will also find the Crazy exhibit, curated by Elizabeth Leriche, the same of Silence space at Maison et Objet 2017 (as well as my favorite. Oops I still have to talk about this here!)

Scroll through the images in the gallery and you’ll find names to take note!

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When I visit this kind of concept stores, I always think that we don’t have similar spaces in Italy. That’s to say, a store entirely dedicated to Italian design and crafts. I hope I’m wrong, so if any of you knows something similar in Italy please tell me here in the comments!

Ok, let’s go! 

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Empreintes è un concept store a Parigi,

nel quartiere dell’Haute Marais e interamente dedicato all’artigianato francese.

600 mq su quattro piani con un esposizione di oltre 1000 capolavori di oggettistica di artisti e artigiani da laboratori francesi. E’ il luogo ideale quindi per scovare delle produzioni davvero interessanti, nomi nuovi e nomi più conosciuti, il tutto inserito in uno spazio interno luminoso e curato in ogni dettaglio.

Scorrete le immagini in gallery e troverete nomi di cui prendere assolutamente nota!

In questi mesi da Empreintes troverete inoltre l’esposizione Crazy, curata da Elizabeth Leriche, stessa dello spazio Silence a Maison et Objet 2017 (nonché il mio preferito. ops ve ne devo ancora parlare!)

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Quanto visito concept store come questo, non posso non pensare che da noi tutto ciò manca. Uno spazio dedicato interamente a design e artigianato italiano intendo. Se qualcuno di voi riuscisse a farmi un esempio ne sarei estremamente felice, spero tanto di sbagliarmi io…

Ok, ora seguitemi! 

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    All images © italianbark

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Melissa x Jeremy Scott: Inflatable Dreams and the future of flagships

Extended until July 31, 2016 Photo | MariannaMichael© It’s easy to walk into the Melissa Galeria and assume you have walked into Moschino boutique. After all, it is Moschino’s creative director Jeremy Scott who has most recently collaborated with Brazilian footwear brand Melissa. Melissa x Jeremy Scott is one of many current collaborations. Jeremy Scott’s  Spring/Summer 2016 collection, as an ode…