Barneys New York Downtown Flagship
So just what is Retail Watch? I’m establishing this new “blog” as a collection of thoughts, musings, and opinions specifically related to the worlds of fashion, retail, beauty and brands. As an Art Director/Designer with over 8 years experience in these areas, I have a deep understanding of how this crazy world works. I also love brands (a lot of people say that, but I really do), and I have LOTS of opinions.
This blog will of course live on, but I want to focus my portfolio site/blog about all this fashion and retail, and focus this blog on design and inspiration. So worry not!
Fashion is a strange type of magic. It’s art that you live in. Or it can be. Once upon a time, fashion was about labels, and the status they carried. Labels evolved into brands, then lifestyle brands, and experiences and now they touch every aspect of what we see and do. And while todays retail landscape is more challenging than ever, there’s also more opportunity than ever.
So in this blog, I want to focus on that, opportunity. And innovation. And magic. How do we bring a sense of magic, surprise and innovation back into retail? How do we make the shopping experience special? Macy’s tagline is, “the magic of Macy’s.” Have you been to a Macy’s recently and experienced ANY magic? Almost every mall in America has a Macy’s, and what can you see, buy or do at Macy’s that you can’t see, buy or do anywhere else? Or at any other department store for that matter. In the race to consolidate all the department store brands, we’re left with a sea of sameness. And Macy’s isn’t alone. Department stores and retail brands are struggling across the board, unless you’re H&M, Forever 21 and Zara …
So what can brands do? There’s not one simple solution. But it has to be about ideas, innovation and experiences. The solution has to go BEYOND retail. And that’s what I’ll explore on this blog. Gap is off to a great start with their newly launched Generation Gap campaign. Nordstrom has their pop-in shops, H&M/Nike and Adidas has their design/artist/athlete collaborations.
Can retail move forward by looking back? I think so! What happened to all those regional department stores we grew up with? What made them unique and special? What about certain brands creates a connection that lingers? That’s what I want to explore! Feel free to follow, comment, share and let’s start a conversation.
dcwdesign // blog 