 | | 
Do you get The Gist? Click here to subscribe.
| | 20/20 Vision: Five Great Finds |
|
 |
| |
In celebration of Chute Gerdeman’s 20th anniversary, we’ve introduced a new Gist feature—20/20 Vision. Twenty years at the forefront of retail strategy and design has given us a unique perspective on our ever-changing industry, and our trendwatchers are bringing you their insights—everything from consumer trends and hot new concepts to cutting-edge materials and great do-it-yourself visual techniques. We’ll include five great finds in each quarterly Gist this year. By the end of our 20th year, you’ll have 20 great new ideas—all to give you a better view of the retail world. For the third installment, please read on. If you missed the first two, click here for the summer edition or here for the spring edition.
 |
What’s old is new (again)
Gone are the overly slick, ultra-mod, too stark retail stores of recent years. More and more we notice retailers wrapping merchandise in a comfy wrapper of vintage and retro-inspired decor and environments. Culturally, we wonder if our non-stop tech lives and economic uncertainties have made us yearn for the reassurance of days gone by. Whatever the reason, concepts from Kate Spade and J.Crew in New York, and Bluebird in London, have us celebrating the return of classic visual propping. And thinking about scribbling our memoirs in longhand. |
 |
Artistic license
Like books and magazines, art can set the right mood in any retail environment. When you pair a curated art collection with just the right fashion collection, it’s a match made in museum heaven. And the more the better—fine art, advertising, posters, photography, even signs, all combine to give the shopper something to contemplate as they peruse the merchandise. |
 |
Opening Ceremony Hits Tokyo
Fashion retailer Opening Ceremony recently opened their first flagship outside the U.S. in Tokyo's trendy Shibuya district. The store, an eight-level, 26,000 square-foot department store, is more like a "mini-mall" of shop-in-shops that celebrate the attitude of each featured brand. This location will feature designers such as Rodarte, Alexander Wang & The Row.
Opening Ceremony first opened its doors in New York in 2002.The concept applies the mission statement of the modern day Olympic Games—to creatively combine sports, business, and global participation—to the world of fashion by featuring well-known designers, up-and-coming labels with vintage goods and flea-market finds, all from different parts of the world. Collaborative design is a major part of Opening Ceremony’s retail philosophy. They joined forces with Tretorn, Sanrio, Betsey Johnson and actress Chloe Sevigny (to name a few) to create private label products.
They opened their second location in Los Angeles in 2007, where they introduced the idea of boutique shopping with the "mini-mall" format. (Fun fact: the LA store is located in the former dance studio of Charlie Chaplin.) Each designer's space has unique fixturing and merchandising as if it were the brand’s own store. This same format is brought to the Tokyo location with each of the eight floors embracing a unique theme including: "A Trip Across America," "City of the Future," "A Walk in the Park," and "Office Space."
The "mini-mall" concept isn't unique to Opening Ceremony—there's also Dover Street Market in London and Urban Outfitters' Space 15 Twenty in Hollywood. These shopping venues enhance the customer experience by combining fashion with art installations, food offerings, performance spaces, rotating vendors, and pop-up shops to celebrate the creative spirit among complementary brands and designers.
|
 |
The Written Word
Text. Manifestos. Quotes from the high and mighty, the flighty, and the common man. Suddenly lots of brands have something to say. Nothing is more powerful than aligning your brand with a tone of voice (yours or someone else’s) to provide insight into the subtle personality, values and attributes that make your story yours. Tell that story with wit, authority, friendliness or cheek—adding texture through typography.
|
 |
A Glimpse at Exposed Light Bulbs
On our recent travels to London and NYC, one particular lighting trend caught our eyes over and over—exposed light bulbs! The lights can be clumped together and hung from the ceiling to take the place of a grand chandelier. John Varvatos in SoHo and BlueBird in London emphasized quantity in their executions of the trend. Others used bulbs more sporadically by placing them over a cashwrap as a decorative pendant, like in the Theory shop-in-shop in Bloomingdales. These exposed bulbs can also add vintage glamour and resemble theater lights on signage similar to what was done in Top Shop in New York or Selfridges in London. Either way, exposed light bulbs bring a slight industrial and vintage feel to a retail space, adding character and dimension to any environment.
If you are looking for an exposed light bulb pendant, Rejuvenation Lighting has one with a vintage twist called Burnside.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| In Other News… |
|
|
 |
At Christopher & Banks, Customers Matter |
|
|
Whether it’s the social aspect of catching up on the week’s events, or because no one tells it to you straight quite like your sister might, shopping as a pair or in a group is exponentially more fun than going it alone. So when Christopher & Banks recently opened a new Chute Gerdeman Retail-designed prototype store at the Shoppes at Montage in Moosic, PA [More] |
|
|
|
|
 |
Viewpoint |
|
|
While some retailers are still in a wait-and-see mode, others are clearly refusing to sit still when it comes to maintaining a branded store experience. The proof? The fact that flagships are enjoying a much-welcomed revival. [More] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Katie's Top Five |
|
|
Fall is finally here, so check out several lighting options—from funky to modular to energy efficient. [More] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
CG in the News |
|
|
Several Chute Gerdeman concepts and insights have recently been featured in the news. Read more about Barbie Shanghai, Flippers, Christopher and Banks, and Swiss Farms. [More] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
