It’s a fashion brand store, and robots come to your eyes before things. The huge installation in the middle of the store gives you an unfamiliar experience as if viewing contemporary art. It is about the Gentle Monster’House Dosan’ store near Dosan Park in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, which is about to open on the 24th.
The installation of’House Bankruptcy’ contains Gentle Monster’s aspiration to show the future’Retail (Retail)’. Through the first and second floors, Frederick Hayman’s three-dimensional (3D) works were brought to reality. Reporter Yoo Ji-yeon
A store where robots stand out more than glasses
In the building consisting of a total of five floors, including the basement store,’Gentle Monster’, a brand specializing in glasses and sunglasses,’Tambourine’, a cosmetic brand, and’Nudeike’, a dessert brand, have entered stores. Both Tambourines and Nudayk are brands under the’IiCombind’, a gentle monster operator.
Gentle monster like an exhibition hall
Nike with LED screen
Other error with space theme
Space marketing that gives you a different experience
Next to the shelf where Gentle Monster’s glasses are displayed, a giant six-legged walking robot is moving bizarrely. Reporter Yoo Ji-yeon
The scenery of the store I visited on the 17th was impressive. The 3D work of Belgian artist Frederick Hayman is embodied in real life in the space spreading the first and second floors. The installation that seems to have destroyed an old building recklessly gives a feeling of something unrealistic. On the 3rd floor, the 6-legged walking robot’The Probe’, created by Gentle Monster Robot Lab’s research for over a year, is moving from place to place. The appearance of a giant mechanical creature in motion is strange. On the 4th floor, where the cosmetics brand Tambourine’s store is located, kinetic art works that move gracefully like reeds attract attention. An official from Gentle Monster explained, “We tried to draw the attention of consumers by expressing the brand’s identity with something unfamiliar and surprising that we cannot see in everyday life.” “The store was created after research on how to show the future retail business.”
The elegance of the reed was expressed with’kinetic art’, which means moving art. House Dosan 4th floor,’Tambourine’ store. Reporter Yoo Ji-yeon
Presenting attractions through art works
In the era of new coronavirus infection (Corona 19), where online shopping is more familiar, brands that give’power’ to offline spaces are appearing. Nike, which opened a 1123m2 (340 pyeong) super-sized store on the 6th floor of Lotte Department Store Avenuel in Sogong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul in August last year, is a representative example. As a store with the concept of’future sports’, which was introduced for the first time in Korea, it became a hot topic by using a light-emitting diode (LED) screen to create a futuristic interior.
Nike’s super-large store embodies the concept of’future sports’ with an LED screen. Picture nike korea
Earlier in May, Nike opened a complex cultural space’Jordan Seoul’ on Garosu-gil, Sinsa-dong, Seoul. Rather than a simple store concept, it is designed as a complex space where you can experience the cultural value of Michael Jordan, the icon of the brand. Works made for Jordan Seoul by famous domestic and foreign artists are placed throughout the store. Both stores are characterized by focusing on experience content rather than showing many products.
A view of Nike’s complex cultural space’Jordan Seoul’ that opened on Garosu-gil, Sinsa-dong, Seoul. Picture nike korea
‘Ather Error’ is also famous as a fashion brand that communicates through a unique space. It is characterized by operating flagship stores mainly in regions preferred by MZ generation, which are major target customers such as Hongdae and Seongsu-dong, rather than entering department stores. Arthur Error’s’Arter Space 2.0′, which opened in Seongsu-dong in July of last year, attracted attention by composing nine unique spaces under the theme of’crack.’ The space where clothes are displayed only appears after passing through multimedia installation works and spaces themed around the universe. With word of mouth that it is a unique space, it is gaining popularity as a store that always queues amid the spread of Corona 19.
A view of’Arter Space 2.0′, where fashion brand Arthur Error opened in Seongsu-dong. Installation works stand out more than clothes. Pictures of the official Instagram of the error
“Limited online without offline”
Offline retail stores, whose purpose was to display and sell products, are turning into viewing spaces for consumer experiences. Media art and installation works are often mobilized to uniquely express the brand’s worldview. Even in the era of Corona 19, where the trend of non-face-to-face shopping has been strengthened, it is no exception. Rather, even if small stores with no sales are closed, they are focusing on large stores that express their brand identity. This is because it can give you a direct experience that you can never experience online. “If you operate an online store without an offline store, there is a limit to differentiation,” said Jinyoung Gu, part manager in charge of brand strategy at Gentle Monster. “Spatial marketing through offline stores that provide unique experiences and experiences is a major trend in the fashion world. said.
A dessert cafe’Nudeike’ located on the basement floor of Gentle Monster House Dosan. Behind the cake showcase is a media installation in collaboration with Italian visual artist Andrea Artimicio. Reporter Yoo Ji-yeon
Reporter Yu Ji-yeon [email protected]