Brands

Would you buy Charvet, L’Uniform, Charlotte Chesnais on Amazon?



L'Uniform bag at Amazon Luxury Stores

We have been debating the ‘can Amazon work as a luxury retailer’ question for almost as long as the ecom behemoth has been around. Funny really, because that’s about the the same length of time as Net-a-Porter and we now don’t question the idea of buying say, a £113,000 Cartier watch online. And yet Amazon has struggled with its high fashion offer despite numerous iterations.

Could things be changing?

The latest attempt is Amazon Luxury Stores*, an in-app experience (U.S only) that recently offered two mini edits by former Colette retail whisperer Sarah Andelman. The ‘pop-up’ edits included products from L’Uniform (above), Charvet, La Bouche Rouge and Charlotte Chesnais. (more…)



This brand wants to sex up sunscreen



Vacation by poolside FM

It’s happened with skincare, it’s happening with oral care, could Vacation by Poolside FM be the ones to make sunscreen a feel-good ritual, not a chore?

There are many reasons we all love to hate sunscreen. It’s expensive, it’s impractical (who can be arsed to reapply it throughout the day?!), it feels icky or it leaves a white zinc oxide cast on the skin. It’s just not a pleasure.

Enter Vacation by Poolside FM, a brand extension of the 80s throwback online radio station and app. Its premise is to make a sunscreen as nostalgic and joy-inducing as the radio station (more…)



TRP Travel Retail Style Index: May 2021



Tiffany & Co Blackpink Rosé ambassador

Welcome to the latest travel retail column for DRG by Alison Farrington aka The Retail Planner (TRP).

This month’s highlights come from a purposeful social retail pop-up in Hainan, a luxury hometail makeover and the latest TikTok trend.

1/ SOCIAL RETAIL. Societal pressures are the focus for a new type of phygital pop-up courtesy of Japanese skincare brand SK-II that has debuted a retail-tainment destination in the Haitang Bay Duty Free Shopping Centre in Sanya, Hainan.

The pop-up is an immersive representation of the P&G-owned brand’s new SK-II Studio animated anthology series called VS. The film and retail campaign aims to highlight career pressures faced by women and viewed through the experiences of six athletes taking part in this year’s Tokyo Olympics. (more…)



Kenzo SS21 by Filipe Oliveira Baptista



Kenzo ss21

One of the best shows I saw for SS21 was Felipe Oliveira Baptista’s Kenzo collection. Inspired by beekeepers and their utilitarian outfits, the show reflected the social distanced ‘Contagion’ times with incredible headgear and hazmat-style all-encasing outfits fashioned from classic Kenzo florals.

I have a bit of a thing for reveal-conceal headgear, so the hats in particular were my standouts. But the whole show video is gorgeous – do watch! Tragically, it’s just been announced that Kenzo is letting Oliveria Baptista go after only two years at the LVMH-owned brand. Hopefully he’ll get snapped up soon… (more…)