Kyle Chayka: Apolis, Monocle, and the branding of the ‘Placeless Aesthetic’.
Mobility and rootlessness have become aspirational touchpoints––waves that some brands, like Apolis and the experimental LOT-2046, are all too happy to ride. (833 words)
Tracking Kit and Ace: A timeline of embarrassing failures stretching back to February 2016.
Having just shuttered 36 out of 45 total stores last week, Kit and Ace’s aim of opening 95 global stores by 2019 (and taking out $300M in debt to do so) is over. This is just the latest in a consistent series of embarrassing missteps since early 2016. (837 words)
Tyler Brûlé’s retail projections: Bullish on Walmart, bearish on Farfetch.
On the back of Walmart’s aggressive e-commerce acquisition spree, and Farfetch’s newfangled Store of the Future concept, we spoke with the Monocle man about why US and European retail is failing, how it can be fixed, and why the Japanese still to get it right. (1,267 words)
Airbnb of pop-ups: London’s Appear Here expands to the US, continues its big international push.
Pop-ups are far less of a novelty play today, and Appear Here is a big reason why. We spoke to CEO Ross Bailey who talked about the opportunity in the US market, the promise of LA and New York, and the mechanics of launching Appear Here in new cities. (1,392 words)
The Bonobos-Walmart saga: Marc Lore is quickly proving to be Walmart’s man of 2017.
There’s been plenty of analysis on the pending deal since last week. Yet one thing is becoming abundantly clear in this narrative: In former Jet.com CEO Marc Lore, Walmart has a snarling e-commerce pitbull. (562 words)
Meet the new luxury shopper (according to McKinsey).
McKinsey’s key finding, summed up in a single idea: It’s a consumer centric market now, and with so much choice, shoppers are far less loyal than they used to be. (411 words)
Ministry of Supply is now printing custom blazers in 90 minutes.
Ministry of Supply has installed a new 3D printer in its Boston showroom. Shoppers will now be able to get a custom blazer knitted that same day, but at a price of $200K for the machine, is the investment worthwhile? (611 words)
Inverse relationship: As Amazon Fashion trends up, department stores trend down.
Breaking down Racked’s lengthy report on Amazon’s bold luxury ambitions, whose upward trajectory worryingly coincides with Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and Macy’s big slump. (1,100 words)
Tracksmith channels Rapha with new ‘Trackhouse’ running hub.
Tracksmith is opening up a new retail concept in one of Boston’s key shopping districts. The idea reminds us of Rapha’s Cycling Club (which is a good thing). (593 words)
What J.Crew, Kit and Ace, and others can learn from Japan’s United Arrows.
Key takeaways on what makes United Arrows one of the best specialty retail destinations on the planet. (713 words)
