G-Star Raw re-thinks denim retail

Denim and apparel brand G-Star Raw has launched a new retail concept on Oxford Street in London with a minimalistic and “museum-feel” flagship store as it continues to evolve the way it sells jeans. FashionUnited was given

an exclusive tour of the new 470 metre squared flagship, the brand’s fourth store in the city, by G-Star Raw’s brand director Remco de Nijs who described the new concept as “deleting the noise” to “focus on the product”.

The conceptual retail space has a clutter-free approach, with a mimalistic and industrial feel, which has been designed to highlight the brand’s iconic products, which have been placed on “hollow legs” rather than a traditional denim wall, as part of the labels efforts to draw attention to the key styles, the varieties of washes, as well as its design principles.

G-Star Raw’s art director of 3D design, Pieter Kool, who was responsible for the design elements of the new store said: “This isn’t a wholly new concept, each season we evolve our stores and this flagship is our way of deconstructing what retailing is about.

“There is no denim wall that you see in other stores, it doesn’t tell you which denim is right for you, so removing it brings back the attention to the product. We are proud of our product, the design and the lengths we go to, so the focus is back on the product.”

G-Star Raw opens concept flagship store in London

The two-storey shop features both men’s and women’s denim, with both departments following the brand’s ‘Just the Product’ philosophy, by displaying the range of jeans and collections in a minimalistic manor, which also includes the stockroom being on display. Unlike traditional stores where stock is hidden, G-Star Raw is celebrating “the engine room” of the store with a fully glass-fronted mezzanine stockroom, showcasing the products, which de Nijs said means that “nothing is hidden”.

With the lack of stock on display, the brand has employed “denim curators” to act as personal shoppers for customers, to identify the style of denim they are after, showcase the various washes, as well as find the appropriate size, with “stock runners” on hand to go to the stockroom for sizes not on the shop floor to ensure a “seamless experience” de Nijs states.

There are a few differences in style between the two departments, de Nijs explains: “Core elements are still the same, but we’ve added a few softer materials with the wood floor and velvet touches for a softer feel”. With Kool adding: “Fitting is the main difference, whereas upstairs for men it is open, for women we’ve made it an intimate, serviceable environment as well as socialable” with a mirror partition added to “shield” the area from the rest of the store.

In addition to the clutter-free design, the store also recognises how difficult consumers find it to decide when faced with lots of options, so in addition to the icon denim styles the store also highlights “key looks” with mannequins that have been styled head-to-toe in G-Star Raw to give inspiration and to showcase the depth of the G-Star offering which also includes accessories, footwear and eyewear. These looks will be global coordinated to ensure a consistent message via the brand’s website, social media platforms, as well as in store windows.

Kool explains: “We know that too much choice makes it difficult for customers to choose, so we are highlighting our key looks of the moment on our mannequins with the products that come with the look to give a better service.”

When asked how much of this concept would be rolled out across the rest of the G-Star network, de Nijs said it would “depend on store sizes” but elements such as the key look mannequins would be seen in some form at all stores.

Founded in 1989, the Dutch apparel brand has become known for its innovative and cutting edge denim, utilising the raw characteristics of denim to create unorthodox styles. G-Star has become a permanent fixture in the denim market and is currently sold in 63 countries worldwide and has more than 6,000 points of sale, including in over 380 franchised G-Star stores.

Images: G-Star Raw – Oxford Street, London