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HE SPACE
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THE SPACE IS A PHYSICAL REALIZATION OF CRAIG GREEN‘S VISION AND DESIGN AESTHETIC IN ALL WAYS. IT‘S DIVIDED INTO THREE DIFFERENT SECTIONS INCLUDING THE RETAIL SPACE, A CO-WORKING STUDIO SUPPORTING EMERGING DESIGNERS AND AN EXHIBITION SPACE USED TO LET THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE CRAIG GREEN‘S PHILOSOPHY OF HIS LATEST COLLECTIONS IN A UNIQUE WAY. THE SPACE IS DESIGNED TO GIVE A REAL SENSE OF A COMMUNITY. 5
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INDEX
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10 7
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34 CRAIG GREEN‘S CITY GUIDE
BIRBECK MEWS 14
16 28
THE STORE
FLOORPLAN ARCHITECTURAL PLAN
BRICK&MORTAR DESIGN STRATEGY
38 39
EMERGING DESIGNER IN - STORE
MARKET POSITION
SWOT
42 44 48
THE TEAM
WORK ENVIRONMENT
CUSTOMER JOURNEY
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE THE 5 SENSES STORE PLAYLIST
COMMUNICATION STRATEGY LAUNCH EVENT
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PUBLIC GALLERY 17 AMHURST TERRACE - HACKNEY DOWNS East-London institution opened and run by Steve and Danny in 2009. Since the beginning, this has been the spot for all creatives in Dalston. Tina, We Salute You‘s creative and inspiring atmosphere allows customers to really enjoy theire time here. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch or even daytime drinks. There are even changing art exhibition supporting local talents.
Public Gallery is another contemporary art gallery focusing specializing in solo shows of emerging artists that combine a strong creative vision, notable technical ability and artistic integrity. Based in the creative hub of Hackney Downs Studios
KINGSLAND ROAD 98 KINGSLAND RD - HACKNEY
Home to over 150 stalls offering a diverse range of quality goods at very competitive prices. Amazing selection of different products from different parts of the world. With its selection of products, energetic sound of reggae music and the natural blend of cultures, Ridley Road Market is a true melting pot.
Set in an old print works on the park between Dalston and Clapton, Hackney Downs Studios is home to a diverse community of artists and creative independent businesses. With over 200 creative workspaces it is a true creative hub of Dalston area. Working environment is complemented by social open spaces, markets, lifestyle and wellbeing provisions.Hackney Downs Studios runs a host of weekly and monthly events open to the public and with free entry to all. Try El Garito, new cocktail & tapas bar or shop some handpicked releases and second-hand records at Low Company. Barber‘s Gym offers you a friendly community of locals training towards strength and conditioning, by providing weekly group and individual training and favour a more functional style of fitness that caters to women, men, athletes and newcomers.
TINA, WE SALUTE YOU 47 KING HENRY‘S WALK MILDMAY WARD
HACKNEY DOWNS STUDIOS 17 AMHURST TERRACE - HACKNEY DOWNS
CRAIG GREEN‘S DALSTON GUIDE RIDLEY ROAD MARKET
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We made handpicked selection of Craig Green style activities around Dalston. Whether you are looking for the best lunch or coolest spot for daytime drinking, you can find all the best locations below. All these restaurants, cafes, bars, and other activities are selected to support the perfect shopping day in Dalston and Craig Green store.
If there is one road you should visit it is Kingsland Road, which is the embodiment of multicultural London. Full of pubs and bars next to Vietnamese restaurants and Afro-Caribbean food stores. Walkthrough „Pho Mile“ and choose one Vietnamese restaurant from many options. Craig Green team‘s favorite is legendary and homemade like Hanoi Café. Try summer roll’ platter. Honest and comforting Vietnamese restaurant.
Probably the coolest pizzeria in town. Whenever Craig Green team feels like having Junk Food Friday they order few pizzas to office. What‘s better than sharing some pizza with your mates. Nothing. Good beer and cocktails selection. Interior deserves special mention with it‘s cool and young atmosphere.
FARR‘S SCHOOL OF DANCING AND RUBY‘S 17 - 19 DALSTON LN - DALSTON
VOODOO RAY‘S 95 KINGSLAND HIGH ST. - DALSTON
If you want to spend one of the best nights in a long time head to Dalston Superstore. Dalston Superstore is iconic but the uptodate gay club just a few blocks away from Craig Green store. You find an interesting and wide spectrum of people from different backgrounds. Dalston Superstore also serves iconic brunches to survive from last nights party.
BSMT 5D STOKE NEWINGTON RD - DALSTON
BSMT is showcasing some of the finest UK-based and global artists. Situated underground in the heart of Dalston it offers the best in current Urban and Contemporary Art. BSMT also hosts clothing and magazine launches, cocktail events, supper clubs and have recently introduced creative workshops.
CAFE ROUTE GAUMONT TOWER - DALSTON SQUARE
UCHI 144 CLARENCE RD - CLAPTON
DALSTON SUPERSTORE 117 KINGSLAND HIGH ST. - DALSTON THE DALSTON JAZZ BAR 4 BRADBURY ST. - DALSTON 11
The Dalston Jazz Bar is like from a different world, with its excellent quality jazz. Good to come for a drink but also order some real Caribbean food. If you want to party, this is probably not the place for you, but if you are looking for a nice and chill evening with your friends, you should try The Dalston Jazz Bar.
If you are willing to walk 15 minutes from Craig Green store you can find this humble Japanese restaurant called Uchi. Uchi serves the best sashimi, nigiri and rolls around Dalston. Try also yakitori and karaage. Beautiful interior with communal tables and always the best service.
Allday breakfast and honest lunch. Always full of creatives taking their morning coffee while running to work or eating late lunch without any hurry. Flavors are incredible and especially the salads are always on point.
Farr‘s School of Dancing and Ruby‘s are probably the best option for beer and cocktails after a long day of work. They both have an amazing selection of drinks and brilliant interior design. Full of young and cool people from creative agencies nearby. Especially Ruby‘s turns into live music venue later evening.
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BIRKBECK MEWS 14 - DALSTON - LONDON 13
We want to create a store inside the studio in an old industrial building from the 50s which is located in Birkbeck Mews. This three story building is at the end of a small alley and surrounded by art galleries, bars, a car repair shops and a market. Next to the building, you can find glowing golden Carleen De Sozer‘s street art “Hip Hop Raised Me” which connects Craig Green naturally with hip hop culture. The building has a huge glass wall, allowing light into the studio. The building has its own small yard which allows Craig Green to expand his creativity outside the studio‘s walls. The location is a little bit hidden but still just a few steps away from Kingsland High Street which is the main street in Dalston. Dalston Kingsland station is just two minutes walk away and Liverpool Street Station just 13 minutes away from the door of Craig Green‘s space.
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THE SPACE
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THE FLOORPLAN
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THE FIRST FLOOR / RETAIL SPACE
THE GROUNDFLOOR / EXHIBITION SPACE
THE SECOND FLOOR / CO-WORKING STUDIO
FEATURES
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overall area
645.3 sqm
groundfloor first floor second floor
251.6 sqm 251.6 sqm 142.1 sqm
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THE ARCHITECTURAL PLAN
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MAIN ENTRANCE AND COURTYARD BAR
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GROUNDFLOOR AND EXHIBITION SPACE
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FIRST FLOOR AND RETAIL SPACE
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FIRST FLOOR AND RETAIL SPACE
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BLOOMING DESIGNERS GREENHOUSE
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BLOOMING DESIGNERS GREENHOUSE
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SECOND FLOOR AND CO-WORKING STUDIO SPACE
BRICK&MORTAR DESIGN STRATEGY 28
The brick-and-mortar was designed to highlight certain brand values that are very close to Craig Green; community, uniformity, inventiveness and artistry. The idea for the first Craig Green store is a space which shows the inside of the designer’s imaginative mind. Each season, the huge gallery ground floor will be transformed to reflect the inspiration of the collection. The store is a journey. It is a way to find out more and dive deep into the collection. It’s an experience of an exhibition of the mind of the creative genius himself. The installation for the Spring Summer 2019 features large sculptures from the campaign created by David Curtis Ring, video mapping of the abstract print from the collection and large draped white fabric. Craig Green is a designer who enjoys working with people and his team who are like friends and family. He has a deep sense for community and an obsession with groups and uniformity. We would like to create a store that could make people feel like they are a part of Green’s world. The brick-and-mortar will have a co-working studio in which customers can see some designers and artists at work. The studio is a working space offered to students through a collaboration with Central Saint Martins. The studio is spacious and very simple to allow the creatives to use the space like a blank canvas. The studio features custom designed circle tables that can be used together by a few people or individually when a part of the table is detached. The studio has trompe l’oeil windows on the outside of the building and large windows on the ceiling to bring in natural light. The ceiling windows can be closed when needed. The studio is fully equipped with machines, such as sewing machines, 3D printer and photography kit, which are selected based on the studio space survey.
The sense of community is derived from the nostalgic feeling of having the clothes hanging on a clothing line, as it was an activity done with each other in the past. The clothing line is a square with a mirror cube fitting room in the middle, which is supposed to give the idea of a meeting place that brings people together. The space of the room is kept very minimal to highlight the colours of the clothes. The walls are also darker than the other floors to create contrast and excitement, like entering into a new world. The broken wall leads to the „Blooming Designers“ greenhouse where you find the latest collection of some of the best local young designers that are selected every season. The clothes are also similarly displayed as the main retail space but with racks that are very playful and sculptural. The greenhouse plants and flowers are growing wildly in the room also resembling a wild English garden. The merchandise sold in the store will be some products from the core collection, the garments from the runway and special collaborations.
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The stockroom is located on the first floor which is seamlessly blended to the wall. The space is created in order to have the flexibility and space to change the interior design and visual merchandising to keep it exciting. As a child, Green was very hands-on and creative. His creativity and philosophy are reflected in the store’s interior and concept. Overall, the most important goal for the brick-and-mortar is to fully show Craig Green‘s vision and imagination, provide a space for a real community and an official directly operated store to sell the collections.
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SUMMER
SPRING
TULIP PARROT FLAME LILY
ALLIUM SCHUBERTII NERINES POPPY PETTICOAT
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WINTER
FALL
RED DOGWOOD PAMPAS GRASS CELOSIA WOOL
HELLEBORE WITCH HAZEL CLEMATIS CIRRHOSA
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EMERGING DESIGNER IN - STORE 34
BETHANY WILLIAMS Bethany Williams is the winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Award 2019, but she is also a lot more than that. She is an alumna of the London College of Fashion and her collections have won over many industry leaders and influencers. Oversized sweatshirts and knitwear with iconic British logos and amazing denim is the core of Bethany Williams aesthetics. Every season Williams works with different social issues, sharing a strong interest in her community and helping people in need which is part of her vision. Two of her latest collections are based on homeless shelters and foodbanks. For her fashion show, Williams cast a series of homeless individuals and donated 20 percent of the profits from the collection to the homeless shelter. Her brand has charity at its core and solving problems in the fashion industry is important for this London based designer. Instead of outsourcing production to cheap labor countries, Bethany Williams is using local manufacturers.
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CHARLOTTE MCDONALD
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Charlotte McDonald is a new and upcoming designer from the Royal College Of Arts. Charlotte McDonald‘s collections explore nostalgia that explodes from British youth culture and style from the 70s up to the 90s. Innovative use of materials, combined with traditional craftsmanship describes Charlotte McDonald as a designer. Charlotte McDonald is able to have a contemporary take on classic tailoring and blur the line between traditions and contemporary. McDonald takes lots of inspiration from her family‘s military background and she is known from her exploration between militaristic uniforms and traditional ideals of masculinity.
ARNAR MAR JONSSON Iceland born and Royal College Of Arts graduate Arnar Mar Jonsson is looking inspiration from his native culture and the strong community, but also the nature of Iceland. Arnar Mar Jonsson is creating modern and up to date wardrobe for the community around him. Arnar Mar Jonsson is able to connect his heritage with London‘s street culture and merge different elements such as the innovative materials from sports and activewear to more traditional design.
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END. CLOTHING
SELFRIDGES
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SPREAD BRAND FOCUSED SELECTION BRAND SELECTION
COMMERCIAL
CRAIG GREEN
MACHINE A
DOVER STREET MARKET
CONCEPTUAL LN-CC
platform for future talents (studio space and emerging designers) offering all around brand experience: combination of collection installation and sales floor established art and creative scene in Dalston multi purpose and community space complete selection of products strong way of presenting a collection CSM collaboration
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emerging designers: in-house competition to Craig Green products
growing popularity of Dalston: competitive concept stores opening online multi-brand retailers selling Craig Green Dalston getting more popular among Green’s customer development of Birkbeck Mews (commercial or residential use) rocketing land values: capital gain collaborations with local creatives increased interest in contemporary art (including fashion)
external co-working studios
THREATS
STRENGTHS
selling emerging designers: untested market perception
BREXIT
OPPORTUNITIES
high initial investment
WEAKNESSES
location faraway from main shopping streets
rocketing land values: loss of authenticity
WORK ENVIRONMENT
THE TEAM 40
“Everyone is a maker and doer” Craig Green says when talking about his studio team, which helps him develop his new collections. Because it’s very small - around 50 people - the whole crew comes together like a family. In an interview Green endorses the fact, that he prefers working in a community, surrounded by his team members who are friends to him. Surely this strategy brings many benefits like all involved knowing what is going on without news needing to pass several different corporate departments. This work environment needs to be transferred to Craig Greens retail space since the recipe goes: having a good team and work environment, people want to work for and you attract the best people in the industry. A few people with a healthy hands-on ethos can make a big difference compared to many that don’t really want to work. A community of people should be developed in a family-like atmosphere, where everyone participates enthusiastically in continuously bettering the retail experience and thus even driven the brand awareness. With a few steps a good relationship and the level of trust between sales manager and sales person can be increased. Employers need to listen carefully to their employees and they need to be confident enough to talk about any problems or observations they made. The sales staff is the part of the brand, that stands in direct contact to the clients and knows best who they are and what they want, which a good sales manager should be aware of. He or she needs to be motivational character demanding realistic things in a realistic time frame. A proper salary, which makes it worth to come to work enthusiastically is mandatory. For the sales staff further trainee programs should be provided, in order understand the industry from all points of view and to enable the opportunity of promotions to progress their career. It will form the employees to experienced and flexible workers, who are also able to handle stress situations and improvise if needed. Good work will be rewarded to further motivate the sales staff. A close relationship to the employees and a full integration of them into the brand DNA will make employees strive for a longterm career in the brand, increasing loyalty and dedication. A corporate digital communication system will push all employees to stay informed and involved in all happenings. Also flexible hours and a medial health care offered by the brand will be of advantage. Extremely strict and rigid rules will have its effects on the employees - a good balance between a healthy body and mind is essential to achieve the best results. A small communal breakfast in the morning in the staff kitchen, before the shift starts, can be a good way to kick off the day through combining an easy start of work and a comfortable environment to revise the tasks of the day. Also a common lunch will establish the community and family feeling, or even a glass of wine offered after work will be surely appreciated by everyone and the creative spirit. Once a month a cultural day on the weekends can be offered, enabling the staff attending excursions to art, fashion and industry related activities.
THE SPECIALIST
SALES MANAGER 41
experienced motivational and positive realstic loyal caring team builder listening risk taker role model
enthusiastic hands - on - ethos flexible creative dedicated brand expert communicative and outgoing product knowledge open - minded
CUSTOMER JOURNEY
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After arriving in Dalston the store visitor will have a first The third floor will be the smallest. The heart of this floor will impression of the area: urban, raw and alive. There are many be the co-working space for designers and creatives of all activities you are able to do around the stores area - street kinds. The “normal” client is able to enter the third floor, but markets, many little creative stores, boutiques like LN-CC and not allowed to step into the co-working space - to respect the countless cool bars. The urban and artsy feel will be continued artists, give them space and peace and avoid mixing up their in Craig Greens retail space. Once the client enters the store, materials. However the visitor can watch them work through the beginning impression is supposed to awake curiosity and a divisional glass wall, allowing to experience the creative amazement: on the ground floor, right after entering, the process. Also a washing room will be there available for sales first thing to experience is the exhibition space, spread on staff, customer and creative workers. the whole ground floor. It will be curated through creative fashion installations, which are related to the current runway collection and inspired by the vision of the designer and what led him to create the collection. In his collections, Craig Green always kind of groups his clothes in three parts with three different seeming inspirations, made for three different clients. Thus, also the exhibition space will be divided into three segments, each representing one of those groups, showcasing creative and innovative installations of the garments. Like in a museum, these installations are not meant to be tangible for visitors - hence, a sales associate or “security guard” is not necessarily needed. After passing the exhibition space and collecting insights about the brand, on the other side of the entrance on the ground floor the client has access to visit the stores courtyard. In this part, there will be a bar allowing either visitors, sales staff or creatives working in the co-working space to get a drink. It will create a community space on the ground floor uniting all these people, which might come to the store for different reasons. Also in the courtyard the urban and raw vibe of Dalston and the vibe of the location - a warehouse - will be continued. The courtyard is big enough to let people come together and relax, work there and enjoy music by DJs or bands, even through occasional events hosted there. After having experienced the ground floor, the client will be aware of the second floor, accessible through stairs or elevator. On the second floor he or she will find themselves within the actual retail space and sales floor. The purchasable products will also here be presented in a creative way, combined with the warehouse feeling. After entering the second floor, the attention will immediately be drawn to a huge mirror cube, set up in the center of the room. It wont only create reflections of the visitors and garments, but also functions as changing rooms with one changing room on each side of the cube. This will be another point of the retail space bringing together everyone all clients, as well as sales associates advising the customers. The representative sales staff will be visible upon arriving in the second floor, enabling to help the customers with any concerns or questions without following them around everywhere they go and leaving them space to discover on their own. Also the cash point will be there, with an always present member of the sales staff,so everything related to purchasing a product will be on one floor, avoiding confusion amongst customers.
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In this step, the customer enters the physical store. Personal service, five senses experience and the combination of retail, art and creative studio space are the main factors during this step.
SECOND MOMENT OF TRUTH
Research has begun the more important step in purchasing decision as more often the buying decisions are made during this step. We want to activate and connect with the customer by adding more content on social media and Craig Green‘s website. 50% of consumers search for videos related to the product before buying it in store. 92% of consumers say that visuals influence their buying decision the most. We want to create a more seamless connection between craig-green.com, Craig Green‘s social media and physical Craig Green store, by adding more detailed photos of the garments, videos showing the product and also behind the scenes videos of the life of Craig Green and the studio team. An omnichannel approach is a key to success in today‘s market and we are creating a more seamless connection between different platforms. We are focusing more on social media and connect with customers around the world by creating a dialogue between the brand and customers, but also between the customer and other customers. By doing this Craig Green is able to „word of mouth“ action.
FIRST MOMENT OF TRUTH
ZERO MOMENT OF TRUTH
STIMULUS We focus on creating customers interest around Craig Green using various different media. Number one is obviously Dazed and also runway shows two times a year. We also focus more on SEM and this Craig Green is able to connect with a new customer base.
We want to connect with the customer even post-purchase by using newsletters, events held in store and social media. We encourage customers to share their experience online and create discussion between the Craig Green family.
HEAR
CURIOSIT Y BELONGING EXCITEMENT
SENSES
5
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE 44
There are many ways to achieve a great customer experience other than set up of the store or the quality of service offered. “Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science.” is a statement by american astronomer Edwin Powell Hubble. He already knew how important it is to not forget the five senses of touching, smelling, tasting, seeing and hearing, in order to hit peoples emotions. Also in retailing this insight shouldn’t be neglected, although it seems like it is happening so, with retail spaces becoming more boring and boring over time and a general shift towards digital shopping happening worldwide. In Craig Greens retail space in Dalston this mustn’t happen - using the five senses is essential in order to offer the store visitor the best customer experience possible. These senses creates a complete Craig Green experience and allows customers to travel through Craig Green‘s vision. The Craig Green Space stimulates customers senses and creates an even deeper connection between the customer and Craig Green. The store visitor should be made curious and is supposed to feel excited in order to explore more and find a sense of belonging.
The Craig Green Space is designed to have three different sound areas but still, all these areas and floors will be in balance and complete harmony. The ground floor gallery is kept silent. This silent atmosphere allows the customer to break away from the outside world. Total silence creates an interesting combination with the harsh industrial architecture of the gallery and supports the complete vision of the Space. The retail floor has its own playlist with experimental electronic underground sound. The playlist is at the same time sophisticated but contemporary and in a minimal way, it combines all the emotions of the current collection. The playlist will be curated specially for every single collection and it expresses the collection. This playlist will create urban jungle atmosphere. In the Studio, on the third floor, there is an old school boombox to allow creatives to choose their own mix. From surveys we did, we noticed that there are different preferences related to listening to music while working and creating. Studio also offers wireless headphones to allow everybody to enjoy music or silence at the same time.
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WULFFIUS _ BLOW IN BRASS
AND JAMIN‘
DPCLD _ UP EARLY SMOKIN‘
ARTEFACTS _ WAR LULLABY
STROBOSCOPIC
STRESS - SHAPE SHIFTING
SNIPPET
DEWALTA / VOIGTMANN _ SEMIFLOATING OBJECTS
OMMO _ PLUTESC IN AER
ANDREI CIUBUC _ JUST
FIELDS _ OLGA (REMIX)
APOLOGUE _ INFINITE
STORE PLAYLIST SOPHISTICATED
CONTEMPORARY
UNDERGROUND
EXPERIMENTAL
EMOTIONAL&DREAMY
MINIMAL
ELECTRONIC COMPOSITIONS
IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH IGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGHT SIGH
SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMELL SMEL
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The architecture of the building plays an important role which sets the whole mood for the store, gallery, and studio. Installations at the gallery is the first thing customer notices when entering the Craig Green Space. Changing exhibitions in the old warehouse allows the customer to feel and experience an interesting and contemporary take on art and fashion. Small light corridors allow a bit light in but still keeps the Gallery intimate and keep the outside world on the other side of the walls. The retail floor is all about telling the story of the collection through the current collection. Garments are displayed in a contemporary way taking inspiration from drying clothes and drying racks. Natural light coming through big windows reflects the outside world. Garden balcony gives a soft but contemporary touch to the retail floor. The retail floor is a combination of different and unexpected elements mixed together. The studio floor is a space where creatives can express themselves. This is also visible and the studio is constantly developing and under change. Good light is important and with indirect light coming from skylight lets the outside world in, but still gives space for creatives to dive into their own world.
The smell connecting all three floors is related to nature. Gallery space will have a soft, natural and delicate smell of the forest. A smell that lets the customer freely explore and enjoy the journey through art. This smell also sets the tone for the smell for the rest of the floors. The retail floor will have a contemporary, even a bit experimental and unisex garden like smell. A smell that takes the customers mind to walk in the garden after a rain. The studio floor is the most natural but it has a slight smell of freshly cut wood. This smell connects with the ideology of creation and free expression.
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TA S
TE
UC H TO All the architectural and interior design materials are harsh and industrial. These materials encourage the customer to touch and feel. Brick walls and concrete floors of the Gallery creates an industrial feel that continues through the whole Craig Green Space. Garments on the retail floor are placed in a way that customers can touch everything and by doing this truly understand the structure and materials of garments. Different materials and textures throughout the whole Space create individual areas to discover.
To complete the experience customers can enter the bar to taste the Craig Green experience. Local ingredients and tastes create the perfect balance between contemporary and traditions. Most of the ingredients are collected and grown in Craig Green Space‘s own community garden.
Of course, part of an excellent customer experience is also the existence of an excellent customer service, without being too obtrusive and demanding of the client. The sales staff of Craig Green’s retail space must be able to know everything about the products and technical data, but also needs to have an in-depth understanding of the brand, it’s values and the designers - at best identify themselves fully with the brand, since each sales associate functions as an elongation of the brand and is a representative brand ambassador. They should be courteous, maybe even offering a drink if they have the feeling the customer stays longer in the store and is going to purchase a few things to give the client a more special feeling. Having friendly and cool staff will make the customer feel comfortable and take away the feeling you sometimes get when entering high end luxury boutiques, where some sales associates expect the store visitors to “look fancy” - this should not be the case at all for Craig Greens store, since the customer should identify with the staff, creating a feeling of community and belongingness. After leaving the store, the customer should have experienced the brand fully and have developed the wish to come back in order to come closer to the brand - an outstanding customer experience combined with an equally good customer service is essential. As a result the generall success of the store and brand will increase as well, since word-of-mouth and digital ratings about the store will constantly develop towards a statement of unique experience.
COMMUNICATION STRATEGY 48
Currently, Craig Green‘s communications and marketing strategy focalizes mainly on their Instagram, website and selected magazines such as Dazed. On the website, Craig Green shares a link to Instagram. Craig Green has a relatively strong fashion magazine presence, especially on Dazed magazine. Craig Green has a great relationship with Robbie Spencer, the creative director of Dazed. This relationship allows Craig Green to have a good coverage on Dazed magazine and Dazed website. This conncetion between Green and Dazed is something that also in the future the brand will use and continue to collaborate with Dazed. However, there are several strategic steps to fulfill the ultimate goal of increasing Craig Green‘s presence within the market and amongst people.
CRAIG GREEN‘S CITY GUIDE
On Instagram, June 2019, Craig Green‘s amount of followers is 250k. He follows 874, which are other brands, retailers, creatives, the Craig Green team and fashion magazines such as Dazed, GQ or Dust. We set a global goal to reach 450k followers by the end of 2020. We trust that by doing some adjustments on communication and social media strategy Craig Green is able to reach the goal. Regarding the current strategy, they do not seem to have a very structured plan when it comes to posting. They will post two to four pictures a week, sometimes five, anyways, Craig Green is not veryactive through stories. The tone of voice is very easy, product-related and focusing on stocklist. Craig Green makes you understand that the person behind the screen is someone exactly like you, who wants to keep you up with what is going on at Craig Green, by pictures of the products, and of course, styled images of models with garments. At the moment they are not sharing anything related to the daily life of Green‘s studio or his personal life. This is something we want to change, we will create series focusing on the daily life of the design team, store and of course also Instagram stories following the life and work of selected young creatives working at the studio space. You are in contact with a human, not with a machine. It is easy to get that the person posting loves the products and brand as much as the client does. Their highest amount of likes recently is around 6k, while the picture with the fewest is around 400. Their posts are mainly announcements of where to find and shop the products, even though there are usually no clickable links, the post lets the viewe understand that he will find the item on the shop. Craig Green puts also focus on campaign images and recently they have had more celebrities wearing and showing Craig Green products. These new celebrity endorsements give a new channel and tool to connect with a new type of target. The growing interest around Craig Green in the hip hop scene allows the brand to colaborate with celebrities and in the end reach new clients. At the moment Craig Green‘s social media does not reflect the community feeling, which is so important to the brand. We want to change this and use social media as a meeting point and possible first connection between the customer and the brand. We are creating a more human approach by showing the real life of the team and behind the scenes content. We recommend Craig Green to focus more on creating interesting and engaging social media content by doing changes within the Instagram posting strategy and schedule posts ina more frequent way to engage with the right audience.
EVENTS
Craig Green will launch „Craig Green‘s City Guide“ to highlight the importance of London to the brand and Craig Green himself. Craig Green‘s City Guide shows the best and most interesting restaurants, bars and other activities around Craig Green‘s Dalston store. This guide will be done with Dazed magazine and Craig Green‘s City Guide will also be featured on the brands social media to reach as big audience as possible.
Craig Green will host a series of smaller events held in a studio space every few weeks. These events can be workshops or panel discussions related to fashion, art or some other relevant subjects. The events are open to everybody by registering to the event. These smaller events allow Craig Green to remind and connect with customers. There will be an exhibiton for each season with new curation by invited outside curators. Exhibitions at the gallery are an important elemnt in Craig Green‘s communication, a way to support the
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„I think both print and digital can be great in their own way, but if I had to compare them, it would be like comparing a real kiss and a virtual one. We all know which one is better.“
OFFLINE
- Chris Vidal Tenomaa, editor in chief and creative director, SSAW
After the focus group study, we understood the importance of the offline presence. Craig Green‘s customer is looking for experiences and nowadays reading a magazine is an experience and can be a way to detach from everyday life. If online is like McDonalds and other fast food, reading printed fashion magazines is like an exclusive dinner, it is something you want to enjoy and read in peace. Digital Detox is the word of the year 2020 and also Craig Green wants to move towards physical interaction by creating the Craig Green space and also focusing on communicating through offline channels. The brand will publish a series of „old school“ advertisements on selected fashion and art media. In addition to fashion media, Craig Green will collaborate with Daily Mail. Daily Mail is sort of archetype of British society, but it is also one of the first major media that discovered Craig Green back in the day. Green will have full-page advertisement before the opening of the Craig Green Space. This collaboration with Daily Mail is a part of Daily Mails commitment on behalf of local British talent, brands and products.
Craig Green and British fashion school Central Saint Martins will launcha program supporting and helping young talented creatives. Craig Green x CSM program selects the best and the most interesting creatives to join and take part in the studio of the Craig Green Space in Dalston. These selected talents are supported by the brand‘s team and they are allowed to work at the studio. Craig Green x CSM program is a collaboration and funded by both partners. Central Saint Martins will launch a scholarship to pay the small costs of every young talent and at the same time, Craig Green offers space, equipments, support and mentoring for those selected talents. Craig Green x CSM is a way to support new talents and also to connect with young people and new ideas. This program is also part of the communication strategy of Craig Green. The brand will communicate the program on social media, website, Dazed, BoF and also through CSM platforms.
CRAIG GREEN x CSM
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT
whole ideology of the brand and also a way to connect with the creative scene and customers. Every time the exhibition changes therewill be a kind of Vernissage Party and own communication related to this. Dazed and some art related magazines, invitations, newsletter, social media and other normal art exhibition communication tools are used for these events.
THE CRAIG GREEN SPACE OPENING 04.01. 2019
BIRKBECK MEWS 14 - DALSTON - LONDON
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There is an ongoing connection between arts, dance, music and fashion. Each medium functions to transmit feelings, inspirations and conceptual ideas - fusing them and letting them work in one set together enables either the performer or the viewer to experience the idea of the creator with all senses. Craig Green, who is always worked with sculptural objects and is very interested in the art scene himself can use all these mediums to translate his vision into reality. He is known for his conceptual collections, often times inspired by workwear and uniforms, also if not in a political context. All of his fashion shows are known for their magical atmosphere, elevating his vision to something almost ceremonial. Dimitris Papaioannou is a Greek choreographer, former dancer, set designer and artist. In 1986 he founded Edafos Dance Theatre, a medium for the innovative stage sets, costume design as well as the experimental performance art connected to dance he is known for. After many successes in the international art and dance scene he was the first choreographer to study a new stage piece with Pina Bausch’s former dance company after her death and is currently choreographing for the Tanztheater Wuppertal in Germany. Because of his year long experience and understanding of conceptual thinking he is able to translate Craig Greens inspirations into a performance, turned into reality in form of a project collaborating with young people, pushing themselves and the vision of the designer. 51
The set design of the event will be held rather minimal, since the focus is on the performance and presentation of the collection itself. However, since Craig Green himself is very drawn to sculptural art and installations, which are also always present in the retail store, there will be new fashion installations of the Spring / Summer 2019 collection, realized through careful curation. These installations will be a medium to showcase the garments and the conceptual ideas of Craig Green.
AUDIENCE AND INVITATION
“Food for Freedom” is Rainbo’s mantra and that’s why 20p from every meal purchased from their Ford pick-up food goes directly towards the rescue and rehabilitation of child laborers. The truck will be set up next to the inhouse bar in the courtyard and will be available throughout the whole event.
SET UP DESIGN
Dimitris Papaioannou is the choreographer of Tanz Theater Wuppertal and a performance artist and choreographer for Pina Bausch Dance Company, Germany. It is about connecting Dance and Art and fusing it with fashion - Craig Greens Spring / Summer 2019 collection. The choreographer will study with young people, refugees, people who are in need of creative involvement. Practicing the performance will start two months before the final premier, around April 1st and will be hold in the evenings 2-3 times a week.
CATERING PARTNER RAINBO FOOD TRUCK LONDON
The event will be a performance of the current Spring / Summer 2019 collection of Craig Green and will turn his retail space into an event space. We will reach extraordinary results and offer a great experience through collaborating with young people, who are in need of creative involvement and opportunities - attracting especially people in rehabilitation, refugees, students etc. To take part as an active performer for the performance, which will be led by choreographer Dimitris Papaioannou, people will need to register and commit to a two-month performance practicing phase starting in April up until June. There is no need to be a dancer, but the project will bring together people from all kinds of cultures, no matter their origin or heritage. The participants will be limited in number (around 20-30 people) and will be selected. Not only performers, but you can also apply in order to help organizing and help behind the scenes. The theme of the performance itself is inspired by Craig Greens personal inspirations and storytelling of the Spring / Summer 2019 collection. He will collaborate with the choreographer in order to share his inspirations and ideas. During the performance the participants will wear and showcase Green’s latest garments and thus create a new and unique way of presenting a new collection.There will be three performances on three following evenings in beginning of June. Attendance by registration only. The event will be for free and paid by the brand. However the organization is open for donations.
CHOREOGRAPHER Dimitris Papaioannou
STORE LAUNCH EVENT The audience of the event is not limited to a specific group of people. Everybody who is interested is invited in order to create a fusion of people and a multi-cultural community from different backgrounds. Through promotional efforts the event will gain on visibility over the period of time before the actual event. Approximately the people most interested will be coming from the Art, Dance and Fashion scene - industry internal, but also coming from outside, like family and friends of the performers, Press and similar. There will be a special collaboration with Central Saint Martins, with an easy way to register if you’re a CSM student. Because attending the event is not only able for certain people but the public, there will be a list online you can register yourself via e-mail in order to visit the event. The name will be checked when entering the event.
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