During the visit in Williamsburg, I was in the group focusing on street style and retail aesthetic. Going into the site visit with a clear goal in mind was very helpful for me, since it gave me a sense of purpose while wandering around the streets of Brooklyn, with an emphasis on figuring out how the elements in street style and retail aesthetics define the neighborhood.
As a group, we decided to walk around the streets spontaneously, and go to whichever store that catches our eyes, documenting the experience by taking pictures of the store fronts, as well as displays inside retail stores.
The overall essence of Williamsburg gives off a calming and quiet sensation. The buildings are not as close in proximity as Manhattan, and the neighborhood is far from crowded as it is in the city. We discovered quite a few vintage stores on our way, echoing the atmosphere of authenticity. Retail stores often incorporate the old-fashioned style of the brownstone buildings and revolve the color combinations around the building itself, therefore creating a sense of harmony. Retailers usually adopt single colors for the storefront, and make the window displays look welcoming for customers, whether it’s through the giant windows, or floral decorations.
Graffitis are also a significant part of the street style in Williamsburg. Every few steps, there is a piece of mural art, or even graffitis on the ground. The street art is a vivid representation of the demographics in the neighborhood: artist-entrepreneurs. The aesthetic appeal is everywhere in Williamsburg, which serves as an evidence of gentrification through time. A former industrial neighborhood transforms into art-students hotspot, as well as the home for numerous entrepreneurs, resulting to the continuous developments on visually appealing retail aesthetics because of the vendor’s desire to the demographic groups.
The adventure in Williamsburg was very interesting and though-provoking for me, and I would definitely go back in different times of day to see if the street scenes are different from each other.
