Stores we Love – October

This month’s retail highlights include Browns’ tech-supported East End outpost, Hunter’s atmospheric Grand Central Station pop-up, Timberland’s Tree Lab, Alex Eagle Studio’s shoppable apartment and Anagrama Studio’s confident sports store, JimJams.

Timberland Tree Lab

Timberland Tree Lab store in the King of Prussia Mall, Pennsylvania has been transformed from its original ‘Streetology’ story into a ‘SHEniverse’.

What we love

Magazine or store? With the ability to change every month and tell a variety of stories, Timberland Tree Lab transcends its role as a traditional store and morphs into something more akin to a magazine. The store’s innately live and sensorial quality gives it the potential to become a powerful media channel, a space to excite consumers about certain products and stories.

It’s an ingenious way to keep product fresh. This flexible space gives Timberland the ability to put one particular product story in focus every couple of months. The maiden story was all about streetwear and SHEniverse is a showcase its top women’s styles and stocks 67% less styles than a typical store.

The experience is the product. For a customer who has no idea that the store changes regularly, the product holds enough caché to be the experience. A ‘staff picks’ wall complete with personal recommendations from Timberland’s head office employees not only lends a human touch, but also makes the products feel really special. The footwear is displayed on gallery-inspired plinths for added presence.

Hunter

Hunter’s experiential pop-up boldly juts out of the Vanderbilt Hall in New York’s Grand Central Station, recreating the ethereal glens of the Scottish highlands.

What we love

The atmosphere. From the artificial mist, to the rain soundscaping and spongy moss underfoot, this greenhouse-inspired space transports customers straight into the environment Hunter’s iconic rainwear was created for. It’s also a fun way to bring Hunter’s heritage to life for the local customer who may not know it has Scottish roots.

It’s an effective way to raise brand awareness. Creative Director, Alasdhair Willis says, “The authenticity, values and versatility of the collection is what has made it such a success to date and we want to showcase that – we’ve harnessed new materials and developed a seasonless, unisex collection that challenges the standard connotations of rain.”

Browns East

Legendary fashion boutique Browns was recently bought by Farfetch, and this new East End outpost is the perfect place to launch Farfetch’s ‘store of the future’ concept.

What we love

The use of tech. Although not live at the moment, Farfetch’s new ‘store of the future’ technology aims to enhance VIP customers’ store experience. Customers are invited to check into the store on their phones, this brings up their full purchase history and provides sales assistants with useful knowledge. Furthermore, interactive mirrors in the VIP changing rooms enable customers to order products, check stock and browse online.

The space. The design, with its mid-century and kitsch touches feels a world away from the more traditional luxury environment of Browns’ Bond Street stores. Plus, it comes complete with a Zen room featuring soft lights that undulate from one side to the other, making it look as if the wall’s breathing- a perfect haven from the outside world.

The un-gendered merchandising. Rather than having women’s and men’s departments, it’s merchandised by brand. Male and female Gucci, Balmain or Balenciaga sits happily side by side – a simple way of nodding to the current social climate that feels surprisingly fresh.

Alex Eagle Studio

As the Creative Director of The Store Soho Farmhouse and The Store Berlin, Alex Eagle knows a thing or two about creating beautiful environments. Her Studio is one of the latest shoppable residences to open in London.

What we love

It feels right for now. Over the past few months, London has seen a flurry of shoppable apartment stores (or pop-ups) opening. The mood is right for Alex Eagle Studio to open now as retailers are starting to implement more experiential concepts. Just look at the bold next step in John Lewis’s The Residence concept. They now have a fully kitted out townhouse in South West London where customers are invited to experience products in a contextual, domestic setting. For instance, you can try out a mattress by sleeping in one of the bedrooms overnight!

It’s a multi-functioning space. The store is, of course, brimming with a luxe yet varied edit for your whole life, be that food, furniture, art or homeware (as Eagle says, “Fashion is not enough anymore”). But, it also doubles as an event space with room to host collection presentations, dinners, product launches and workshops. More than a store or shoppable residence, it’s a creative hub.

Jim Jams

Created by Mexican agency Anagrama, this sports apparel store puts bold athletic style at its heart.