“Fashion is usually a collective habit, specific for a certain social environment at a given time. The term “fashionable” generally applies to a person wearing clothes or accessories which are part of the current fashion trend, even if fashion includes several branches. Fashion changes very rapidly; it is enough if, at a given time, someone discovers something better and more beautiful, in order to make everyone want that product, as fashion changes with an incredible speed.” This is the definition the Internet gives us through the widely accessed Wikipedia encyclopedia. Overall, it is an attempt to somehow generally cover the term of fashion. It significantly covers a reality we face in our everyday lives in any context and at any time, which can be regarded as a phenomenon that is as wide as it is complex. Fashion defines us as people and in terms of our individuality, but it also defines us socially, as it can be one of the key elements in rebuilding the specificity of an epoch. Today, it is a huge industry, a sophisticated cultural construct, beyond its practical dimension.
Since ancient times, clothing has been a means of beautifying ourselves. Through clothes, the silhouette can be modeled, hidden or it can show off its most precious assets. What sets one clothing trend apart from another today is the line, the style and the theme, but colors have a say in this as well sometimes. Nowadays, fashion design and presentation have become pure madness. Important designers have made history and famous brands are already family heirlooms and huge businesses. Does the Concept-Store Make a Difference Today? The question of what can make a difference today comes naturally in this context. I have recently thought about this and I have found an answer. A short one, though. A new term related to the fashion world has been used for some time now: concept-fashion. Meaning that a simple collection or productions of large brands with well known identities no longer exist; instead, a theme is chosen, that expresses something, in order to create what we call a concept. Store window displays are designed with a theme in mind, and especially with fantasy. They look like small stages, with a sophisticated decor, telling stories. This is nothing new; however, until a few years ago, those were rare sights and they were only done for a special event or occasion, for the launching of a new product, or a major Holday. There is only a very small step from window displays to a fully organized space. It is called a concept-store. And it is also recent. It was been launched in Romania only two years ago , but in the big capitals of fashion, such as Paris, concept stores been known for some time now, although concept-stores had not yet become “a trend”. That is why we will go to Paris, for the first concept-store: Colette. Colette is the first real concept-store. It is called the Paris' shoppers' paradise for fashionable luxury goods, and it breathes elegance, though some may call it a flashy, state of the art decor. The tradition of refined parties has been maintained by Colette. It is without a doubt the archetype of concept-stores,. The space is a mix between an art gallery, a nightclub and selling space for items which were once called avant-garde. It was opened in 1997, in the heart of Paris, and here you can find limited editions of Nike sports footwear, Prada bags, jewelry, Kelly Klein’s latest book on photography (a fashion photographer who has worked for Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein or Jill Stuart), a chair bearing the signature of Ron Arad (who also worked for Swarovski Crystals) and all kinds of special items. “Exclusive products, previews, limited editions, forgotten brands represent the spirit of Colette”, says Guillaume Salmon, responsible for communication at Colette, the store that brought a new breath of air to the world of Parisian shopping and has redefined the luxurious lifestyle. It is a real universe for those who want to discover new trends - whether they are in design, painting or fashion. Salmon tells us that “each week, the window displays and the objects on display are changed in order to create a new universe every time.” What I find crucial is that such a concept-store has an important say in social life as well. Colette organizes a luxurious party almost every month, to which all of Paris’ high-life is invited. The store has a water… bar, serving over 100 brands of water from around the world. This is how a new story begins. Concept-Store: the Idea of a Gallery-Store Thus, in a concept store you should always find the best collections of the season, both of well known brands, and of less known designers, who have important collections that season, impressing the international media. Selections that end up in a concept store - because clothing items are chosen, are made by professional stylists, who can and do know how to tell what will be “hot” for the next season. Editions of certain magazines can be found there before they are distributed on the market or which may never reach the market in the respective country at all. Or you can find limited edition beauty products. That is why concept stores which have appeared in Romania relatively a short time ago are successful. I see them as mini-exhibits. Everything is related to a specifically chosen theme, or it revolves around a narrated event, beyond trends and avant-garde directions. A discourse that tells a story or that sends a message is built on this structure made up of objects - the only difference is that in these small, ephemeral museums represented by Concept Stores, the objects are clothes and accessories created by designers. An entire atmosphere and construct are created, in which a buyer can chose to make a simple visit, just in order to relax and allow him or herself to be overtaken by beauty. You will always find magazines to browse, scented candles and, to quote one of my colleagues, they are the only affordable stores, from where you will never leave without something, even if you are not specifically buying an item of clothing. For example, The Place Concept Store hosts a mini-exhibit every month, putting the works of the coolest Romanian artists up for sale (photography, graphics, posters, decorative art, an experiment). I believe that what is truly special and different in concept-stores is the fact that, concept-store owners put their store at the disposal of the creative minds in the design field who have something important to say at the respective time. This also has a practical effect of course: if the products are selling, that is very good. The designer takes advantage of the infrastructure without really paying anything. I am not a fashionista; quite the opposite. However, I have been won over by concept-stores and every now and then I pay them a visit out of my duty as lover of the arts. You know the saying that “you are what you wear”. I believe that the meaning associated with it today is a form of prejudice. You are what you wear in the sense that clothing truly defines your identity. Thus, fashion will live long and proud despite having caused some extreme reactions throughout the ages. Loved by some, hated by others, this has perhaps made it ever-changing in order to satisfy all.
