Step right in...
The thing which interested me in these 2 stores, more so than their clothes! is the 'lobby style' entrance as a halfway point between the outside and the interiors. The hallway acts as a comfort/de-clutter zone almost, taking you out from the hustle and bustle of the busy streets into a more relaxed, cleaner and stylish interior. It sets you up before you go into the store and makes you feel like you are stepping into a different sort of environment where it is actually worth being in, by having an extended entrance unlike the average POP'n'SHOP within the mid-market with a simple door. The space also gives the brand a few extra footsteps to make your mouth water and increase your excitement to get in. This relates to the point I made earlier of brands needing to sell more of an experience within their physical stores because it is so easy to buy online, brands need to increase the incentive for us to get off our back-sides and make the effort to purchase instore.
The Armani Exchange store has also used this idea of a hallway but taken it a step further by making it even more interactive with the consumer, employing a resident DJ to bang out the tunes in the shop window. Personally I have always loved this idea of combining fashion and live music and feel that it can be a really powerful method to talk to the consumer, obviously more so if the brand has a musical/creative personality or connection.
Diesel 'Only the Brave' Block Party, Paris Feat. Common LIVE!
<< My favourite example of a fashion brand and live music COOL_laborating... Common KILLS IT!
I think Selfridges, Birmingham tried to get away with just blaring music from the equipment and no actual real DJ a couple of years ago within the menswear section of the store. I feel that it is pointless just having the equipment and no one actually being DJ, pretty much takes the point away and loses the personal interaction value into just unneccessary loud music.
This whole DJ, Club Anthem vibe fitted perfectly to the brands target consumer at the Armani Exchange and plays out directly to the market of 'clubwear'/weekend smart-casuals. I can imagine the concept being most appreciated by the early twenties/late teens all over Birmingham who will be looking for clothing with a bit more substance rather than your generic, common Henleys, Soviet, Firetrap or GioGoi which would be the young male clubbers 1st point of call. Pretty boy, would've been/could've been semi-professional footballer-chic.
Armani Exchange plays out to the male 'weekender' mainstream, offering a slightly more upmarket, affordable-designer luxury...
As well as offering more space for advertising and offering a slightly different retail environment (a bit like a club!) the idea of using a hallway style space is more interactive, giving a brand a few extra seconds to sell the experience/brand message which could have a massive impact on the consumer! I like it.
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