Seven must-see London bricks-and-mortar fashion concept stores
Physical retail is alive and well in London. We check out seven boutiques ahead of London Fashion Week that are reclaiming customers from the online universe
London retailers have been battered by the rise of online shopping. Customers are no longer content with going into a shop and buying something when they can do it from their sofa, so retailers are having to work harder to entice them out of the house and into the stores.
This has led to a charm offensive: stores have been spruced up, entertainment offerings added, and prime shopping destination Bond Street has had a £10 million (US$14 million) makeover and cars all but banned from using it.
Led by Dover Street Market, concept stores are popping up all over London, offering a carefully curated mix of fashion and lifestyle products in spaces that can be redesigned and evolve with the seasons.
Even stores such as Selfridges are hosting pop-ups with brands such as Fendi and Gentle Monster that offer entertainment and customisation in their Corner Shop space. The desire for newness and exclusivity is thriving and retailers are having to adapt accordingly.
“Digital is what we have become, but what we crave is physical experience,” says Nazifa Movsumova, founder of concept store Modern Society in Shoreditch, an area of immense creativity and boldness. Selling cutting-edge fashion alone doesn’t hack it for shoppers these days; they are looking for experience, and this is where concept stores are succeeding.
“Physical space is the most powerful form of media available to a brand. It offers an experience and if this experience is done correctly, it cannot be replicated online,” says Movsumova.
