Samsara: Gentle Monster's Singapore Arrival and Innovative Store Concepts
- Oct 20, 2017
- 3 min read
"Innovate or die." says Tadashi Yanai, Uniqlo's founder.
That phrase is certainly prevalent in the freshly-opened ION store of South Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster.
My first glance on Gentle Monster was through a Korean TV show called My Love from Another Star, also known as the drama that caused a worldwide YSL lipstick shortage. The odd-shaped shades worn by the eccentric female lead Cheon Song-yi caught my eye, even though I initially thought it was Gucci since the actress who played her modeled for the brand at the time (Oh, and the lipstick wasn't actually YSL either).
And thus began the expansion of the industry disruptor.
When founder Kim Han-kook took a look at the eyewear industry, he saw a gap in the market for spectacles designed to accomodate Asian facial structures and preferences. He then began to develop a store with an artistic approach, as if the products are being exhibited. The concept first caught the attention of design reviewers, before it hit big after the TV show aired. By 2015, the company had reached USD 160 million in revenue.
There are two main uniqueness of Gentle Monster's brand. The first is their design. 'Strange' and 'oversize' are commonly used by people to describe the sunglasses by Gentle Monster. Kim said that the big spectacles are meant to make the face appear smaller, a major beauty standard here in Asia.
The second is that each of their stores have a different concept from one another, making each store almost a standalone contemporary art exhibit of their own. Singapore's flagship got Samsara (it means the endless cycle of birth-death-rebirth in Buddhist philosophy). Titled after a documentary film of the same name, the concept also derived the principles of salvation from Nietzsche novel Thus Spoke Zarathrusta. The complete exposition on each installation can be found in the brand's website.
What I saw when I came down there was enthralled visitors. They entered out of sheer curiosity, though I can't tell whether they are already knowledgeable of the brand or just checking out the new space. All glasses are showcased like they are exhibition pieces. Mirrors of many shapes and sizes plastered on the walls, making it easier for to see how the odd eyepieces look on us. People are on their phones and constantly snapping pictures, whether a selfie of one of the eyepieces or the moving installations. When I checked the Instagram location tag, there were loads of images that came up. I also saw ladies heading to the cashiers to take the spectacles home.
So, I couldn't say that they invested in all those art installations for nothing. It provokes interest, and definitely Instagram-worthy. The experience those people had in the store matters, as they are much likely to buy something if they enjoy their time there. It makes eyewear neither boring nor geeky, but a dynamic shopping moment.
Also newly arrived in Singapore's retail scene is multi-brand boutique Dover Street Market, The brainchild of Comme des Garçons' Kawakubo Rei also follows a similar gallery/retail concept, this time in a 12,325 square-feet space at Dempsey Hill. Local brand In Good Company's ION flagship store also houses Plain Vanilla bakery. Fashion and food in one space, definitely a strategy tailored for its youth customers.
Unique store concepts might be the future. People are so easily bored these days (myself included) and they constantly want the new and now. You can even say that fashion is a samsara of trends - one will rise, die after several seasons, and suddenly arise from nowhere after a few years. Will we keep up, or even open the door to the new era of fashion?
References:
Heng, M. Dover Street Market Singapore opens tomorrow with fresh spin on retail. The Straits Times. Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/dover-street-market-singapore-opens-tomorrow-with-fresh-spin-on-retail
Sherman, L. How Gentle Monster rode the K-Pop wave to $160 million. The Business of Fashion. Retrieved from https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/how-gentle-monster-road-the-k-pop-wave-to-160-million
Note: This post follows the typical Korean and Japanese name structures, where the surname is written first before the given name.
Photos are my own, taken from Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
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