Showroom Boon Opens First Retail Concept Inside Printemps
PARIS — Multibrand showroom Boon knows it’s hard out there for indie designers in the current fashion landscape. So they are taking things into their own hands with a new retail concept space inside Paris department store Printemps in an effort to boost their brands’ reach.
“As a fashion showroom, it’s this idea of trying to bring closer to the consumer what we do for professional buyers,” Boon director of sales and business development Helena Perez said in an interview.
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“In the showroom, sometimes we see the most beautiful pieces in the collection stay on the rack, or the most risky or the most strong pieces are never produced. The consumer never has access to see the full universe of the brands that we work with.”
Boon represents Joe Chia, Sean Suen, Abaga, Rhyzem, ABOAB and Campillo, which will all be present in the Printemps space.
The space, located on the first floor of the men’s luxury department, was designed by Boon creative director Kristofer Kongshaug along with Studio Rotollo. The team wanted to offer a warm concept, so covered the walls in a sunset shade of Dedar fabric, the same Italian textile used for their own furniture line. The lush shade gives the space an “unexpected” twist.
Boon was founded as a fashion wholesaler in 2007 and has since expanded into representing art and design pieces.
The team wanted to create an all-encompassing space that represented everything Boon has to offer, so it’s dotted with interiors pieces including chairs, bookshelves, stools and mirrors from Stefano Giacomello, Cultivation Objects, Atelier Madirazza, ERM Studio and Milan Pekar, along with candle holders from Adrian Cruz and ceramics from Mathieu Frossard and Humble Matter. All are available for purchase.
Boon plans to host monthly guest designers and collaborations to keep the space fresh.
The showroom decided to partner with Printemps as they “do an incredible curation” with up-and-coming designers, and found it the best place for their young mix.
“Everybody was thinking that the department stores were kind of dying, but they really stepped up their game. They took a lot of risks,” she said of the Paris department store being willing to try a new approach.
With Boon’s small brands competing at a luxury price point, pooling together fashion, art and design into one space will help give the designers increased exposure.
Joe Chia is a case in point, Perez said. Boon would have consumer calls come directly to the showroom, but without a retailer in Paris, they would go unserved. Campillo, which shows in New York, also had no Paris retail presence.
Boon’s network is “mostly professional,” and communicating with consumers directly will be a learning curve. But in otherwise “tough times” for young designers, Perez feels it’s a necessary step.
“In the difficult times in the industry, buyers will move toward recognized names. It’s very few stores in the world that are actually open to buying emerging designers or names that they didn’t know before,” she said.
Overall, buyers are generally pursuing safety, focusing on the big brands and basic styles. The increased availability and lack of novelty has resulted in a spate of competitive markdowns that have hurt retail and left little room for emerging designers.
The tide is turning slowly, she said, and buyers are beginning to open their portfolios to new designers once again. But there is “no huge buy as we had before the pandemic,” Perez said.
Buyers are still looking for the most commercial pieces, without taking the whole range or more conceptual looks. These limited buys “lose the discourse” around an emerging designer, Perez believes.
While the first launch is menswear, Perez says womenswear is in the cards. If the project proves successful, Boon hopes to open in other retailers around the world. They’ll continue their wholesale activities too.
“This is a business. We have to prove the sell-through of our brands to grow,” she added. “Why not take this chance? We are sure that our designers have the talent and we have the product with amazing quality.”
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