Ch 86: The Emporium Strikes Back

In a world where Gucci’s online millennial spending rose by 100%, we have to ask ourselves the relevance of the physical store. Companies are constantly opening new stores everywhere. Others are closing down a majority of theirs on the other end, such as the Banana Republic and Macy’s. Stores are becoming more and more irrelevant. Although as mentioned in the article, they do make more money, the fact is that Net-a-porter and Yoox just hit 1 billion in turnover. Stores to work harder to create an immersive experience.

The Prada store in SoHo, Manhattan is a good example of a store which immerses the customer in the experience and the lifestyle of the brand. However, it isn’t very interactive or does not need involvement from the customer. Most luxury stores are still clinical, white and chic, an aesthetic which has also been copied by high street chains such as H&M and more.

The convenience of online shopping also gives the consumer the option to not actually make the effort to go to a store. All the more reason for stores to further push what retail means in the physical space. The Calvin Klein store on Madison Ave. pushes the in-store aesthetic and makes the store a destination as Sterling Ruby, a famous artist has redone the entire store in yellow scaffolding.

 

About me: coming from a country where the arts, queer culture and anything subversive or controversial was never given importance or were frowned upon, I am deeply interested in all of those things. Artists and designers like Le Corbusier, Rouchamburg, Margiela and more inspire me and my love for archiving, deconstruction, Dadaism and the grotesque. I am also incredibly passionate about fashion, cinematography and the Marquis de Sade. What I want to bring through in my work is a study of some of my obsessions, both thematically and in execution, some of which are controversial in their content but that's why I chose a school like this where a voice is recognized

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