retail concepts

Japanese convenience chain FamilyMart is getting a fashion glow-up



Nigo announced as FamilyMart creative director

The vogue for hypebeast grocers (documented in my aw24 trend report) continues.

News just in: Japanese streetwear wonderkid Nigo has been named creative director for convenience store chain FamilyMart. If you’re thinking Tesco or Co-Op, it’s a bit more significant than that. The convenience store game in Japan is way bigger than plastic-packed egg sandwiches and lottery tickets. They do everything from letting you pay bills and print documents to selling underwear and toothbrushes for on-the-go white collar workers. And their snack aisles are legendary. (more…)

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Intimidated? You’re welcome



Sheila Rock Young Punks King's Road Jordan

An alternative thought to last Thursday’s post about the cosy conviviality of the Alaïa cafe-bookshop.

Reading Sheila Rock’s excellent 2020 photo book, Young Punks, her photo of the decidedly uninviting facade of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s 1976 SEX shop (above) revealed an audacious weirdness with intimidating appeal that lured people in out of sheer curiosity. (more…)

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The culture of fashion: Alaïa for foodies and bibliophiles



Alaia Violet Cakes Bond Street London

Just after New Year I treated myself to a banana bread and coffee date at the new Violet Cakes cafe in the New Bond Street Alaïa store. Food and fashion have been forging an alliance for some time and I was reminded that Azzedine Alaïa was a natural instigator of this idea as far back as the 1980s.

Unlike other luxury fashion houses with their ultra brand-coded cakes and confectioneries (hello Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami cakes) this is a somewhat more wholesome approach. The food is consumed round an aluminium communal table nodding to the original spirit of Azzedine Alaïa himself, famous for inviting models, seamstresses, editors and even passing VIP clients to join the home-made feast at the studio table. (more…)

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Quote of the day: Kate Phelan



Kate Phelan by Paul Wetherell

“I do think we are starting to feel ecom fatigue. We are leaning more towards the desire to have an experience and take time and pleasure in the discovery of new and exciting brands. We live our lives very differently today. We look at our feeds constantly, bombarded by imagery and products to buy. So maybe we need to be more aware as to what people actually do with their time and put the personality of the store at the forefront of the experience.”
Kate Phelan on reviving Harvey Nichols* in her new role as creative director, FT (more…)

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