29 November, 2022

A coffee vs commerce conundrum

“Six pounds for a cup of tea and you don’t even get a china cup!” This complaint was quoted to me some 30 years ago by my friend G; his mum aghast at the price of a cuppa in some National Trust cafe or other. Yet it’s a refrain that auto-plays all too frequently in my head when I pass any number of overpriced chain coffee outlets. Especially in the last two years when the premiumisation of, well, everything has played out in the world’s fashionable metros.

At WatchHouse (below), a new-ish UK coffee chain, you do get a lovely ceramic cup. The chain is notable for its upscale Aesop-esque branding (its design team is headed by a former Aesop designer), superior snacks, well-mannered baristas and several-steps-up-from-Starbucks hospitality area. (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 0 Comments Brands, Design, News, Retail concepts, Trends Aesop, Blank Street Coffee, Emma Chamberlain, gen z, long read, retail concepts, TikTok, trends, Watchhouse Coffee

21 November, 2022

Maureen Doherty, a good egg

Maureen Doherty Egg

“I’m not trying to make anything new. There’s so much pressure in fashion to every six months have this newness. When I opened Egg, I wanted it to be like a chair: well that’s OK for 10 years. It’s not for six months; it’s 10 years. I like the fact that it can be an heirloom.”
Egg founder, Maureen Doherty, Hole & Corner (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 1 Comment Brands, Business of fashion, Design, Designers, Magazines, News, Retail concepts brands, designers, Dover Street Market, Egg, Hole & Corner, Maureen Doherty, news, sustainability

14 November, 2022

On my radar: Abask, your new design destination

Heads-up: there’s a fab new e-commerce platform getting a lot of attention right now.

As fashion and beauty online retail have become saturated, as well as an overall fatigue with trends in consuming, it makes sense that some are shifting interests to interiors, a somewhat slower pace of taste signalling – for now.

Abask is the brainchild of Matchesfashion co-founder Tom Chapman and former ecommerce director Nicolas Pickaerts. Its premise is room-themed edits of lovingly-crafted artisanal pieces – whether new, vintage or antique. I’m all about the Study*, where desk-destined Murano glass paperweights* sit alongside Carl Auböck brass knick-knacks* and exquisite vintage fountain pens*. (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 2 Comments Brands, Design, Designers, News, Online shopping, Retail concepts, Trends Abask, Carl Auböck, Couturelab, craft, design, Gio Ponti, retail concepts, The Garnered, The New Craftsmen

13 October, 2022

On Joopiter, style storytelling and investment dressing for the hype set

Joopiter by Pharrell Williams

Hot retail news of the month so far comes from Pharrell Williams’ new online auction platform, Joopiter. “Pioneering a modern collecting economy”, it’s a way to sell off his extensive (11-storage units worth) archive of cultural artefacts, while the site simultaneously serves as an online archive of the archive, complete with content to add cultural clout to the pieces.

The first sale goes live next week (but previews from today here) and will consist of one-off items such as an 18k gold Jacob & Co BlackBerry (est sale price $15k-$25k) and blinged-out Swarovski-ed Stan Smiths (est sale price $2,500-$3,500).

Why should we care? (more…)