16 May, 2014

Welcome to Pradasphere (and don’t forget your souvenirs)

When it comes to immersive, experiential retail, you can’t really beat Harrods and its epic store takeovers. Chanel and Dior have had their turn and this month saw the unveiling of Pradasphere, a fusion of shop windows (40 in total), pop-up shop, cafe and exhibition.

The exhibition on the fourth floor is the big draw. It starts with glass cabinets telling the story of the beginnings of the 101-year-old brand. Originally purveyors of leathergoods, we’re shown vitrines of ancient paper packaging, handbag frames and luxurious vanity sets for the travelling classes. All give an air of revered Milanese shopkeeper to the proceedings, nicely bringing us back to retail. (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 0 Comments Brands, Business of fashion, Designers, Events, News, Retail concepts accessories, archive, best fashion blog, exhibitions, experiential retail, Harrods, Miuccia prada, Prada, Pradasphere, retail news, shoes

11 May, 2014

Trending now: Custom 3-D printed jewellery

Zazzy 3d printed jewellery

Here’s an interesting brand jumping on the 3d-printing personalisation trend. These name bracelets are made to order from Zazzy, a Dutch jewellery brand that uses precious and semi-precious metals for its youthful, casual jewellery. (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 1 Comment Brands, Design, News, Online shopping, Retail concepts, Shopping, Technology, Trends 3d printing, accessories, best fashion blog, customisation, design, jewellery, personalisation, Zazzy

10 May, 2014

DRG Style Index: Bella Freud fragrance, Rick Owens goes mainstream, Whistles menswear

The DRG STYLE INDEX this week is all about the new launches and retail concepts launching for AW14. Here’s my ranking of the brand stories that grabbed my attention…

1. BELLA FREUD’S BRAND EVOLUTION

I know it’s only May but I can already tell we’re in for the autumn of Bella Freud. Her AW14 collection is much fuller then the capsule knits we’ve been used to and we’ll also see her first collab with Fred Perry. Plus this week saw a few Insta glimpses of the first proper Bella Freud fragrance collection (on the back of those delicious candles). Is it too early for Christmas wishlists? (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 3 Comments Beauty, Brands, Menswear, News, Retail concepts, Trends beauty, Bella Freud, best fashion blog, DRG Style Index, fragrance, menswear, retail news, Rick Owens, Selfridges, Whistles

9 May, 2014

Introducing Selfridges Beauty Project (and a can’t-miss special offer)

Wow, what a month May is looking to be for retail! Last week, Harrods opened its Pradasphere exhibition-café-shop-windows takeover, Fendi unveiled its 3-floor Bond Street flagship, Jigsaw’s Duke Street Emporium arrived in Mayfair and Selfridges just launched its summer ‘Beauty Project’.

An epic nationwide store concept (online and offline), The Beauty Project is a look at beauty, not just from a product point of view but in a wider sense, giving us experiential retail and discussions around how we see beauty. (more…)