Monday, July 5, 2010

An Authentic Facade


Speaking of Urban Outfitters (see last Friday’s post), and the cyclical nature of styles, trends and looks of different sorts, the ironic-chic retailer has taken a unique approach to one of its new New York City storefronts. Finding its inspiration in NYC's streets of decades past, Urban Outfitter’s new store will stand out from traditional forms of street-side retail presentation and assume the identity of imaginary storefronts, mimicking the way the street would have once looked.

In keeping with the store’s strategy of ironic nostalgia, this new storefront will be comprised of a bodega, a hat store, a hardware store and a bar. Designed by creative advertising, design, and brand strategy firm Pompei A.D., who has had a 25 year working relationship with Urban Outfitters, the new storefront maintains current advertising trends by creating a story related to the brand. Creative Director Ron Pompei said this to PSFK in reference to the design:

“The whole idea was to do this kind of ironic statement of lining the building with storefronts that would be reminiscent of independent businesses. It’s the story about the streets of New York as they once were.”

Additionally, the following statement was found on Pompei A.D.’s website and refers to the firm’s design strategy for the retailer broadly:

“The selection of finishes and materials all reference the regional climate and aesthetic, and establish a foundation of authenticity for every project.”

Despite the inspired imagination behind this design, a challenge could be posed that the inherent irony runs a bit too negatively deep, even outside of the fact that authenticity in this instance is an impossible goal. Being a retailer of various goods, from clothing, to books, to furniture, housewares and other odds and ends, the design could be construed as Urban Outfitters thumbing its nose at the independent retailers of the aforementioned goods that could have otherwise existed in this space.

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