I’ve been on a bit of a road trip lately – six countries in eight weeks. I’m exhausted, but what made me weary more than the travel itself was the amount of sameness I was saw everywhere along the way. From Singapore to Uruguay, with stops in London, Germany, Dubai, and Argentina along the way, I encountered an astonishing, not to mention disappointing, level of sameness.
My travels took me to Buenos Aires last spring—I know, poor me—and during the trip I managed to squeeze in an early excursion to the Paloma area prior to my evening departure. I have to say, even my unfortunate exhausted companions felt it was worth all the walking. While there, we stumbled upon a non-descript shop—there was no noticeable sign to identify the store. The storefront had only two small shoebox-sized windows displaying examples of the handcrafted wares being sold within. Less being more in this case, and being the shopper that I am, that was a big enough hook for me.
I know I’m not an attorney, nor am I schooled in trademark law, but as someone who works with brands everyday to develop unique environments that differentiate a brand from its competitors, watching the Louboutin vs. YSL case unfold has been quite eye-opening.
September 8, 2011 marked the third annual Fashion’s Night Out, a retail cause célèbre feted in major fashion capitals across the globe. The event is the brain child of Anna Wintour, who proposed it as a remedy to the recession and the lackluster sales comps that accompanied it. The now-international event dedicates one evening during NYC’s Fall Fashion Week to taking the customer experience to a whole other energy level. I’ve calendared this event for three years, but this was the first year I was actually in NYC to enjoy it. Shopaholic that I am, I was like a kid waiting for Christmas to come.
Part of my client roster is Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and I had the privilege (and I mean privilege) to work as their retail design consultant on what at the time had been deemed “Project Genesis” for the onboard shops. This was my first foray into cruise ship retail, and it reminds me of an expression a friend always used to say, “If you’re going to be a bear, be a grizzly.”
Copyright 2012, Gensler. All rights reserved.
Kathleen Jordan