Retail Design /

This article appeared in Contagous issue Eighteen.

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Retro-Fi / The brand that his the hisory books and comes back wih a perfec replica of some bygone time is the brand that

builds a clientele for life. Of course, this sort of hisoricism isn’t necessarily for everyone. But for anyone who’s ben biten by

the vintage viper, i ensures a near endless supply of the syles, cuts and colours they love. The task is a daunting one, however,

and i takes an almos obsessive attention to detail. But the return is always huge in terms of brand awareness and presige /

Retail Design / Quarterly Trend Briefing / By Matthew Eberhart /

A cashmere sweater is a cashmere sweater and a pair of jeans isn’t much more than cotton thread, a few metal

rivets, and – if you’re lucky – real indigo dye. But what happens if you weave in a sory, a lifetyle, a pas or a

future? When an apparel brand uses is retail space to create a whole new world, is clothes sart to sand for

something truly unique. The romance of clothing isn’t necessarily the newes trend in apparel marketing,

but i gves a brand an edge when i’s done particularly well. Especially now, wih shoppers thinking twice

about what they want versus what they ned, every detail counts. Qualiy in-sore implies qualiy in produc,

and that might be jus what i takes to convince a shopper to shell out a couple of dollars more in the mids of

economic panic /

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J. Crew / Tribeca, New YorkThe trad American style of the 50s and 60s recently scaled the ivy-covered walls of New England and ended up in a renovated liquor shop in downtown New York City. The tobacco-stained wood furniture and the booze on display transports shoppers right back into the clubroom classicism of the middle of the 20th Century. And the striped ties, finely cut shirts, and sartorial suiting are all inspired by the same brand of Cold War intelligentsia. Everything, down to the subtle choice of old-world accessory reproductions, is developed to help evoke the Mad Men style to the fullest. Footfall to J Crew stores is likely to enjoy a boost thanks to Michelle, Sasha and Malia Obama wearing the brand at Barack Obama’s inauguration. www.jcrew.com

Kapital / Japan This fast-growing chain of clothing stores in Japan starts by blending the images of old time Japanese and American tradition. But rather than merely recreate verbatim the styles of old railroad workers, farmers, and fishermen, Kapital folds them all into a brand new, indescribable culture. The crafty, cosy shabbiness of each interior is absolutely unique. One stand-alone shop might fill every nook of a three-storey house, its floors covered with tatami mats and worn rugs. Another mall store could be filled with white-washed shelving that climbs from the floor to ceiling, all of it original and one-of-a-kind.http://kapital.jp

Hollister / USAAbercrombie & Fitch spotted the potential to appeal to middle-class teens who weren’t quite mature enough to appreciate their brand. So it responded with Hollister, a 1980s SoCal surf-inspired label, complete with fictitious history, immersive store environments, and a rule about playing music as loud as humanly possible at all times. Although each in-store environment is a mere variation on an archetype, the vibe feels unique and engaging enough to give young shoppers the feeling that they’re part of a scene. The fake palm trees, tastefully mismatched furniture, and dim lighting all contribute to the beach-house-cum-dorm room aspiration.www.hollisterco.com

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retail design / quarterly trend briefing /LUNASOL /

RGB /

KAPITAL /

KAPITAL /

RGB /

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Being & Nothingness / A brand has to sand for something, but when that something is nothing then the task of self-

expression becomes an interesing challenge. This is the crux of minimal design: in the process of stripping away the

accoutrement, i takes a contradicory flair to make the minimal look magnificent /

Matthew Eberhart is senior copywriter at MP Creative, a design consultancy and creative studio / www.mpcreative.net

Jil Sander / New YorkA label famous for its uncompromising austerity, Jil Sander’s Crosby Street store in New York reflects the brand’s impressive sense of a not-too-distant future, familiar yet peculiar all at once. From the street, all that is visible is a single row of dressed mannequins standing in the middle of a long, white space with a smooth marble floor. No racks, no hangers, no sales people – in fact no sense of commerce at all. On the second floor, however, shopping sets in. Everything is still displayed with the clinical quality of a museum, but the stoic minimalism that Jil Sander stands for is powerfully expressed in the single bars from which clothes hang and the stark Serge Mouille lighting. For those who yearn for nothing, Jil Sander offers it all. www.jilsander.com

RGB / BerlinRather than pick a single identity and stick with it, RGB guts and reopens its nondescript storefront every month with a new colour theme that’s reflected in every element of the interior design. If the colour of the month is red, then the garments for sale are available in shades of red. If the colour is white, then every shirt and every pair of pants comes in your pick of white or white. The theme goes beyond clothing, informing the colour of furniture and art on display. It’s simple yet tasteful approach to reinventing a store interior on a regular basis, and it’s stylishly executed.http://rgb-berlin.de

Lunasol / JapanThis Japanese make-up company hired design firm Tonerico, Tokyo, to develop the interior for its Spring 2009 launch event. Although Lunasol is a make-up brand and the space was temporary, it’s an incredible example of using an interior to showcase product for a specific market. Clean, simple and elegant – every detail from the chiffon fabric walls to the subtle soft lighting expresses the beauty of femininity perfectly. Capturing the emotional and psychological outlook of its consumers, the space, although minimal, seems completely alive in its subtlety. While people often think of minimal as stark, cold, and emotionless, Tonerico filled it with life.www.tonerico-inc.com

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