Friday 31 January 2014

Supreme Flagship Store New York City

The next university project entails us to create an individual 2 part brand zine, choosing a brand of our own from a list and analysing the brand, discovering its position in the market, it's competitors, its consumers, looking at brand touch-points and then finally creating a new concept for the brand. I chose Supreme, a New York born world renowned street wear brand. Whilst in New York I conducted an informal interview with a member of staff at the Lafayette Street flagship store.



What would you say the target age range of customers is?

I would say it’s very much changed in the past few years, it used to be primarily 12-26 but recently we’ve seen a lot of 25 and overs so I would say an age range of 12-40

What would you say is the most popular product?

Most definitely the hats, but it has changed again over time.

How would you summarize the brand?

The brand is wrapped together with Art and Music, punk, rock, reggae which all relates back to skateboarding being the main inspiration for both the brand and the flagship store here in NYC.

Could you run through the plain visual merchandising in store?

We have a plain minimal layout as we like to let the product speak for itself. We rarely change the visual merchandising in store as we like to keep true to the brands roots and keep it as simple as possible. We don’t like to go crazy or digital.

What is your personal favorite Supreme collaboration?

My favorite is the collaboration with Cartoonist Robert Crumb, as the graphics were originals for Supreme unlike collaborations with artists such as Keith Haring where the images are pulled.

What would you like to see from Supreme in the future?

Just to continue its work with artists and for the creative team to not pick what’s hot. To keep establishing good relationships with musicians and to not worry about what’s popular at the moment and about being popular.






The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk


The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk is the first international exhibition dedicated to the groundbreaking French couturier. Playful, poetic, and transformative, Gaultier’s superbly crafted and detailed garments are inspired by the beauty and diversity of global cultures.



The multimedia exhibition displays Gaultier's development—from the streets of Paris to the cinema—since he emerged as a designer in the 1970s. From the designer’s earliest to his most recent collections, many of which are displayed on custom mannequins with interactive faces created by high-definition audiovisual projections. 
















'I Hate Perfume'

'I Hate Perfume' is a small exhibition/shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It gives us a place to explore 'perfume' from an entirely different perspective and a unique point of view of what perfume is. Perfumes in store are out of the ordinary, the name suggests this anyway, but smells include smoky tobacco to Mediterranean ocean. Scents can be bought from a minimum of $50 all the way up to $150 depending on the rarity. 









House of Small Wonder, Williamsburg

House of Small Wonder is a European inspired cafe, in a small cozy establishment which focusses solely on the quality of their food. The decor was amazing as you walk in you are greeted with a tree trunk and vines hang around you, a perfectly cute place to have a small lunch or breakfast.








Williamsburg and Brooklyn, Street Culture

Having not been to New York before being told we're going to Williamsburg and Brooklyn I didn't know what to expect but out of everywhere I went they were by far my favourite. Whilst still being full of style it was rich in culture of locals getting by with their day to day lives. 
















New York City 'Shopping Capital of the World'

When told to explore the retail experiences of New York it basically meant to my group for us to shop as much as possible then conclude how much we managed to buy. The city has a wide variety of shops and markets full to the brim with both new and old garments. My favourite shop found was Beacons Closet in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a vintage emporium filled with good condition clothes for sale some dating back over 50 years. 



If vintage isn't your thing theres tons of mainstream stores on a large scale situated on 5th avenue and in the trendy SoHo district. 

Nike Town

Victorias Secret

Victorias Secret

Victorias Secret

Buffalo Exchange- Vintage

Buffalo Exchange- Vintage



Tiffanys

Dash








SoHo