V I N TAG E V I L L A G E
E GAT N I V E G A L L I V 2
INTRODUCTION 4 THE PLACE - COVENT GARDEN 6 THE RETAIL EXPERIENCE 9 WHAT IS MISSING 12 THE SOLUTION 13 THE PRODUCT 18 INITIAL RESEARCH 19 INITIAL IDEA 30 THE CONCEPT 36 THE PEOPLE 42 THE PROCESS 44 THE PRICE 50 THE PROMOTION 54 THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE 56 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
3
INTRODUCTION INNOVATION 4
CAN
TAKE
MANY
DIFFERENT
FORMS.
Covent Garden, being one of the busiest tourists attraction locations in London, has a lot of potential to be a prime area for successful events, It
is
concepts, a
drinking,
home
shops
to
or
restaurants.
entertainment,
shopping,
offices
and
dining,
visitors.
As an area, it is constantly being developed and
renovated.
opportunities the
area,
Despite
that
nothing
all
keep that
of
arising much
has
these within changed
over the recent years.Therefore I believe Covent Garden needs to be livened up, needs to
become
more
creative,
innovative
and
involving for its visitors and habitants. Innovation is something that make one place or
concept
stand
out
from
another,
the
involvement of technology and new opportunities
AIM : To propose a new retail environment to the area through creating a new market attraction in Covent Garden. 5
C O V E N T G A R D E N 6
Fig 1, Looking from the top of James Street by Long Acre and the Tube station towards the Central Market
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Covent Garden is a popular tourist attraction and location in London. Starting off as a trading town it has come on heaps and bounds since the early 7th century. The 13th Century saw covent garden become a major source of fruit and vegetables - and has ever since been trading as a market town. To this day, it still holds large daily markets, for many, its their livelihood. The Earl of Bedford commisWWsioned an architect to build houses in the area. He then went on to create the infamous piazza in the centre of Covent Garden, the first open square in England. 1650 more fruit and veg markets held in the Piazza, many stalls selling home grown Pineapples which then became a sign
OVERVIEW OF COVENT G A R D E N 8
of wealth and hospitality. It became a motif of architects, artists and craftsmen and of the market itself. These Pineapple symbols can be seen all around covent garden, espeically within the Apple Market, on the lightbulbs. After the fire of london desoryed many other markets, Covent Garden became the most important market in the country especially as exotic items were being imported from around the world by boat on the Thames. In 1980 Covent Gareden opened as Europes first speciality shopping centre- it’s success has made it a major attraction for tourists and local londoners. Home to a range of entertainment such as the Royal Opera House and street entertainers, a mass of restaurants, theatres and museums such as the film museum and the Transport Museum. Covent Garden has a tonne of experience to offer. But is it enough in todays era of technology and innovation.
THE RETAIL EXPERIENCE The shopping within covent garden ranges from standard high-street fashion shops like H&M, Marks and Spencer, Accessorize and GAP to high end designer brands and designers which include Chanel beauty store, Burberry Brit and Agnes B and Opening ceremony. The stores aren’t just fashion based either with beauty, accessories and also stationary and technology being a big part of the shopping experience. Covent Garden holds one of the biggest Apple Stores situated just opposite the main piazza. Newly opened stores include Dior,Y-3 and Aesop. Not your average high street shops. Covent garden is improving with this incredible range of shops. It also has book shops, children’s stores, places for gifts, tea, whisky and more. It is a great place for shopping with a fantastic buzz about it without the stress of oxford street which is what people love abour it. Covent Garden is perfect for an afternoon wander and a stroll with a tea break if shopping isn’t what you were after. Moving further away from the piazza, turning left from the station, towards seven dials, takes you towards a smaller shopping area, full of smaller stores, one off vintage stores and has a more quirky feel to it with colourful neals yard surrounded by skater shops, and lots of small streets with all sorts of brands and shops
T H E M A R K E T The main attraction of covent garden has to be the markets.Its historic and nostaligic atmosphere is so lovely. Its renowned for the handmade, novelty items they sell with different stalls day in day out. The first record of a new market was 1654, when traders set up their stalls. In 1670 the fruit and vegetable market started and carried on everyday except sundays and christmas day. The original market became disorganised so Charles Fowler was commissioned to deign a market building, that is, the hear of Covent Garden today. Further buildings were added including the Jubilee Market for foreign flowers which is now used for antique selling. By the 60s, the market was becoming too overcrowded by increase of demand and visitors and was relocated. 1860 the flower market was constructed on the south east of the piazza. 1974 saw the market traders move out and the site was acquired by the council. The market closed and most of the surrounding area was put down for re-development. 1980 saw it be reopened as europes first speciality shoppin centre. Its success story as a major attraction is now part of history In the 80’s a small shopping centre with pubs, cafes and the craft market,was set up in the centre of the piazza, now know as the Apple Market. It houses around 40 market stalls. traders sell a variety of quality good, antiques, crafts, handmade goods and gift items.
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area was 53%. From my observations, the majority of people in the area were tourists or visitors. Despite the fact that this statistic surprises me, when thinking about it in full, this statistic is for an overall year, however if you look at peak times, summer months or holiday seasons, ofcourse there will be more toursiss.
In the Covent Garden Brochure, maps facts and figures - collated in july 2013, it stated that the average age of the visitors was 37. From my own observations I can agree with this. The general age of people tended to be 30 plus, with the odd younger 20’s in there too. The
male,
female 50/50.
ratio
Interestingly the percent of Londoners
was
average in the
There is also hundreds of businesses in the area, which ofcourse is going to mean that londoners and locals are being brought to the area to work.”A third of domestic visitors have been to covent garden more than 10 times over the past 2 years.” “over 70% of international visitors choose to visit the area specifically whilst on their trip to London” Another interesting fact was that the average retail spend was £100 per visit. Considering alot of the shops in the area are fairly pricey, I felt that this was quite a low figure. The majority of this information backs up my own observations which makes me confident to say that there is a younger market missing from the area. I want to target people in their 20’s to view covent garden as an exciting area to shop and enjoy yourself in.
FACTS FIGURES O B S E R VAT I O N S Q U E S T I O N S 10
http://www.capitalandcounties.com/our_business_capco/capco_coventgarden/
When asking a man who worked for covent garden who was overseeing a current event installation a few questions about events in the area, these were his answers. HOW MANY PEOPLE TURN UP TO INSTALLATIONS IN THE AREA? Thousands, so many people visit the area daily its hard to give a number but we have 4/5000 expected visitors for xmas installation ( giant snow globe) - large footfall for a small event WHAT RECENT EVENTS HAVE BEEN REALLY POPULAR? - ice skating rink -cars promotion -Paul McCartney HOW LONG DO EVENTS HERE USUALLY LAST? - 3/4 days WHEN ARE THE BUSIEST/ MOST POPULAR DAYS FOR EVENTS? weather dependent fri/sat/sun build up xmas - busy -nov/dec all through summer
This was so helpful in helping me decide the length of my event, and when it will take place in order to attract the most people, especially those of my target market who are likely to study or work during the week. I have therefore decided that my event will be held in the summer months. I think it will be more enjoyable being able to browse outside and buy a cold drink and relax and just enjoy the event. He said that all the events and promotions in the area are popular. There is always so many people in the area that theres never anything empty or lacking. He also mentioned that there is not one certain type of person who shops or visits covent garden. This showed me that CG doesn;’t already have a particular target market.
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Covent Garden is such a huge tourist destination with thousands visiting daily. Including the vast amount of locals and people who work there, it is an extremely busy area with a huge footfall. The shops and the market seem to be the main attraction there but what makes it different to other destinations such as Oxford Street or Westfields shopping centers. From many visits to all of these destinations covent garden has the most relaxed environment, it allows you to stroll and wander through the cobbled streets, unlike oxford circus, where, if you wander, you’re a pain to everyone power walking behind you. Despite having many of the same shops, high street, high end and a wide range of brands and bespoke market stalls, Covent Garden is not most peoples first choice for a shopping day out. It’s become slightly mundane, the street performers that once may have attracted you, do the same thing each time, theres nothing different to covent garden.
I believe that covent garden needs revamping, it needs something exciting to liven it up and attract a different range of people to it, who may not think of it as a place to visit and shop. So much money is being poured into covent garden for development but there is still nothing new there. The retail experience is no different, bar the more relaxed atmosphere, to most other destinations. The market stalls are a highlight though, something other places don’t offer, handmade, crafty bits and bobs that you cannot buy anywhere else. There is so much history and heritage behind the market and I think it needs to be emphasised as somewhere really new and exciting to shop. I want to play on the aspect of the market being the most important thing in Covent Garden and create a new retail environment. Despite having vintage stores in and around the area, they are not a key feauture of CG and the area isn’t seen as a top vintage shopping destination such as Brick Lane or Camden, even Notting Hill. I want to put emphasis on the exisiting vintage stores and get them the recognition they deserve whilst also inviting their target market to the area.
WHAT’S MISSING? 12
CREATE A NEW MARKET EXPERIENCE THAT INVOLVES THE VINTAGE SHOPS OF COVENT GARDEN, CREATING AN EXCITING VINTAGE MARKET INSTALLATION ATTRACTING A NEW TARGET MARKET OF THE 20 SOMETHING.
THE SOLUTION 13
EXISTING VINTAGE STORES IN COVENT GARDEN 14
BY Looking into what vintage stores already existed in covent garden it enabled me to see what it has to offer. Covent garden doesnt stand out as a vintage shopping destination and thats what some of the really quirky, popular areas in london have these days. People want something different and unique which is why vintage shops are so perfect. Trends are forever repeating themselves, so the clothing is always in fashion and looks amazing. I chose 4 main vintage stores, which are all in the Seven Dials area. The rent is so high in the main Piazza area so these stores are sort of out of the way. However, it does not mean they are forgotten.
15
SHELTON
STREET
Rokit came on to the scene in camden in 1986 specialising in vintage denim thrifted from American Cowboys. Demand was fierce and the shop grew. today it has 3 stores, in bricklane, and covent garden and camden - appeals to loyal customers, celebrities and tourists. Unique product range. Items are hand picked by experts, each garment is laundered and pressed and mended before hitting the shop floor. FLAGSHIP STORE IN CG
MONMOUTH
STREET
Pop boutique has six shops across the uk , and sweeden. It is also stocked in europe and in japan. The employees all love vintage and keep the shop filled with vintage pieces, ethically sourced, some recycled from other fabrics, and some upcycled. Opened in london in 1986, small and packed with vintage clothing, furniture, vinyl. sells on ASOS Seven dials based -bewteern more upmarket stores and cheaper end of vintage. men and womens 60’s to 80’s mods and rockers 16
BLACKOUT 2 This has been trading in covent garden for nearly 20 years and has a huge reputation for one of the finest vintage clothing stores in london. Its products range from 1920’s era to the 1980’s, they have specialized staff who know their stuff about vintage and have incredible knowledge and ability to make the perfect vintage outfit.It is a treasure trove of vintage goodies and also has its clothing available for hire.
EARLHAM STREET The vintage showroom, formed in 2008 to house an archive of vintage clothing and accessories. One of the leading resources for vintage menswear in the UK, covering 20th century and specialising in international work, military and sports - classic english tailoring and country wear. An appointment only showroom in seven dials. They serve to inspire design teams and stylists. Collection is available to purchase or hire. Showroom is in notting hill. The shop and the area is rich in history Fig.2 The Vintage Showroom
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I began my research by looking at the retail sector of covent garden. Its an obvious shopping location in london with a mixture of high end and high street, branded stores alongside the iconic market stalls selling handmade and novelty items and antiques. I believe an exciting retail experience is what is missing from covent garden. despite having a tonne of amazing bands, the area itself doesn’t do them justice. It is tourist full, and theres little new enjoyment there for the locals, or people who live in london who visit regularly. The area hasn’t changed much, nothing new is there, despite its ongoing redevelopment. I want to create a new market attraction, as to me, the market is the biggest and best part of covent garden, it has such great history and heritage behind it, its a shame that its not highlighted. I also wanted to highlight the incredible vintage stores that surround covent garden, they’re on
The PRODUCT 18
the side streets so don’t get much attention. They are in the ‘secret’ areas of covent garden such as seven dials which is often not known of. Covent Garden is not currently seen as a top vintage shopping destination. I want to collaborate with the vintage stores of covent garden, and also other big name and popular vintage stores that people love, to create a market installation , encouraging vintage shopping and to encourage the target market to use covent garden as a main shopping destination for both vintage and highstreet once they see its potential as a more relaxed, enjoyable area.
S U R V E Y Asked 25 people age range of 20-50 80% said they do shop at vintage/second hand stores 20% don’t - because the smell puts them off, they don’t like wearing something someone else has worn, they don’t like rummaging -sometime find it hard to find things they want in their size when i say vintage they thought of brick lane, notting hill and ebay and rokit the store things they like - finding something really special, a bargain, a designer, something that their friends don’t have they thought that to be vintage, an item should be 15 years or older 90% would turn up to a vintage market event. 10% said they would never buy vintage because they want fresh new clothes that are theirs and only theirs.
Fig.4 Storage
These results were helpful in terms of me being able to narrow down my idea and find a focus point. I was pleased to see that the target market that I believe Is missing from Covent Garden, loves to shop vintage. It was helpful to see what people like, and what they don’t like about vintage so I can tune my event to accommodate these aspects. The main thing was the smell in vintage shops, often stale or dusty, another bad point was finding a piece that you love, but it isn’t in your size and of course they do not have any others. This are things want to rectify as possible with my
that I best as concept
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POP UP EVENTS Temporary shops or restaurants that last for a limited period of time. They often pop up in one location and then another the next day to create a buzz and hype around a brand or concept. Pop-up retail allows a company to create a unique environment that engages their customers as well as generating sales, relevance and interactivity. A great marketing strategy that is involving and exciting. It is also an opportunity to make use of empty space, or non-space. It is an innovative way in which businesses are adapting to changing trade conditions. They are great for little brands and boutiques and also for the big brands
I N I T I A L RESEARCH 20
I definitely want the event to be non permanent, pop up installation. I think they have more of an impact. The feeling of exclusivity as they are only there for a short while, maybe even just a few hours. Thats what makes them exciting, and even better if you manage to go, especially when you know lots of others did not get the opportunity to visit like you did. Its a great way of spreading the word of a brand, big or small and definitely a technique I will be using.
Chanel pop up Chanel’s store in covent garden hosted a pop up beauty event. It was designed to be fun, accessible and an interactive, engaging experience for all. They designed exclusive products for exclusive ‘london’ looks or covent garden make up looks. Nail art was available, and also make up master classes. A vending machine for nail polish, a flower stall for the perfume, and also a catwalk set up. It enabled customers to have a playful, modern experience yet also learn about behind the scenes make up, and what the artists do. A fashion street party to celebrate fashion! Takes place all around london with different stores having dj’s, food, drinks, performances and exclusive offers and fun things to do. One evening was based in covent garden which saw a huge community come together to celebrate british fashion and enjoy it together. The whole are of covent garden was involved from Seven Dials to the piazza and was involving and fun for all. This was a great event which happens all over the uk and more for one night only. Its exclusive, offers discounts and goodie bags, what more could a fashion want.
INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES QUICK RESPONSE CODES A barcode that has an optically machine readable label attached to an item that records info related to that item. Barcodes can be scanned on your smart phone to take you to online content, be it a website, and image, video or something else. These are a great way to get consumers involved with brands and their shopping experience, rather than just shopping, they get more outof it VIRTUAL MARKETS
SHOPPING AND TO BRING
ONLINE OFFLINE?
e x a m p l e s WAL-MART busstops - allowed poeple to shop while they commuted Tesco in Korea - shop while commute virtual dressing rooms ebay shop window- giant touch screen window kate spade - vm diplay - buy items from it and they are released from window before store was launched ‘birngs customer closer to companies by creating offline purchase options to shoppers growing trend of online shopping etsy ebay repurpose transitional urban spaces virtual shops 21
TESCO INTERACTIVE SUBWAY POSTER A virtual store concept brought to the UK after the success in korea. Based in gatwick airport so holiday makers can order their shopping to be delivered or collected for when they arrived home. Helping people come home to a full fridge, with the basics like milk bread, etc. Customers download the app on their phone, android or iphone. scan each items barcode and it automatically gets put into their basket. Yes, it could be done on the Tesco website, but the interactive screen offers a more visual, modern way of shopping and offering limited items, saves time so you only get the basics you need for when you are due to return. Again, this is a really good idea, meaning if you are returning at silly o’clock, or from a tiring flight, you don’t need to get up and go to the supermarket which is probably last on peoples list!
I N S P I R AT I O N 22
Fig 4. Gatwick Airport Fig 5 Tesco
Tesco set up a similar concept in Korea, with the screens on the subway and bus stops, enabling people to shop whilst they commute therefore saving them time. Their shopping gets delivered to home that evening, or at a convenient time, and the app is now the most successful shopping app there and has also increased sales. Proving that this idea does work, there is a need for it. People want convenience these days and that is exactly what the app offers them. A productive commute and stressfree grocery shopping experience. This has really influenced my idea, the idea of exclusivity and technology together could really spruce up covent garden.
INTERACTIVE KATE
WINDOWS SPADE
New York interactive window display. Shop able interactive windows in formerly vacant retail stores - making use of empty spaces. A 24 hour preview of the new collection, 30 items available to shop and buy via an interactive screen inserted in the window. The item is delivered within minimum one hour and payment is taken when it arrives. Can be delivered anywhere, your home, the cafe where you’re having lunch or even the park. Giving shoppers an exclusive preview of the collection before the store opens. I think this is such an amazing idea, its interactive and inspiring. The shopper gets an exclusive item before everyone else and it draws in new customers, especially passers by. Again, this is a really good way of attracting new clients. Eye catching and stops you in the street for an interactive experience when youre out and about.
Fig 6. kate spade saturday window Fig 7 kate spade screen
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Interactive touch foils can be used to transform any glass or acrylic surface into a touch screen, making them idea for interactive store window displays. The interactive foils are designed for rear projection and are suitable for all sorts of surfaces and conditions. They are quick to response, have multiple touch points, come large or small, works with gloved hands, can be used as stand along touch tables or stands or in a window. they are easily applied with a squeegee and water! this makes it perfect for quick, non-permanent events just the glass, not extra screen or technology that protrudes into the street or into the store.
INTERACTIVE PROJECTION F O I L 24
Interactive foil is lightweight and easy to apply to a window, glass, acrylic and rear projection screens and any other non-metallic material • No external wires or devices are required as all touchscreen components are situated safely behind the glass • Interactivity works even with gloved hand • Viewing is not affected by external light conditions. • A wide range of screen sizes is available, up to 80 inch 4:3 or 100 inch 16:9 format
I think this would be a great technology to use. It is not too much technology but enough to give my concept some more involvement for the consumer. A screen would be placed on the front window of the store that the event is being focussed on for that months market. the screen will be up for one week before the event giving poeple the chance to see 40 of the best items available. This means 40 poeple get the chance to pre-order the garment and hold it, so whent the day of the event comes, they can see the item in the flesh and decide for themselves if they want it. but its gives them exclusivity, as they can have something before its readily available. Therefore using influences from all three ideas that i have researched into.
Fig 8. interactive foil
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As my research developed, I decided to focus on the existing vintage brands in covent garden, however, before this i solely wanted to collaborate with an online marketplace to bring it offline. I looked into various e-tailers and these were my favourites. I still think however, my concept has the potential to work with any brand too, be it online or offline, highstreet or vintage.For this purpose though, for the promotion of Covent Garden, the vintage shops work best
ONLINE MARKET PLACES/VINTAGE P L AT F O R M S 26
Global online fashion and beauty retailer. Launched in 2000 60,000 branded and own label product lines, 1,500 lines added a week. AMBITION: to be come the worlds no.1 online fashion destination for the 20 somethings -to be more than just an online retailer Creating the best experience for customers so that they return daily in 3 ways ENGAGING EXPERIENCE collaborative, personal seamless app, websites and social media GLOBAL local fashion across 237 countries EFFICIENCY speedy delivery and website customer care ASOS MARKETPLACE 2010 anyone can sell to anyone in the world boutiques are small businesses that sell their own label, other brands or vintage collections to us. individual sellers can sell things too 2nd most visited fashion website on the planet!
Worlds leading ecommerce company enabling people to sell, but and pay online. Making shopping simpler and easier for consumers anytime and anywhere. Ebay uk is part of the worlds largest online marketplace, ebay connects a diverse and passionate community of individual buyers and sellers as-well as businesses and boutiques. Over 112 million active users worldwide, the app has been downloaded over 120 million times and one in every three transactions are by mobile through the app. Ebay would be a great company to collaborate with for my physical marketplace. to take an online platform offline is innovative itself as everything seems to be going online these days. What happened to go old physical shopping and rummaging for goodies! Despite its ease and not having to leave your bed, online ordering has its cons. Unreliable or untruthful sellers become a pest. 27
Love Miss daisy Buying and wearing vintage clothing is a way to recycle. Love Miss Daisy Vintage was launched as an online vintage boutique in 2008 with a view to providing beautiful but affordable vintage clothing and accessories displayed clearly and simply, detailed, yet concise and accurate descriptions and measurements. a welcome relief for those who adore vintage yet either hate or have no time to rummaging through rails and boxes full of clothing. Love miss daisy vintage is a simple treasure chest of hand selected vintage beauties from all sorts of garments- day to evening shoes, coats and accessories. THE
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BEAUTY
OF
VINTAGE
CLOTHING IS THAT ITS BUILT TO LAST. many items have already travelled the world. the website is sectioned by garment type, then narrowed by size which is a really great feature as it does help reduce the ‘rummaging’ aspect, but also gives you the option to view all of the garments under that section. From my survey about vintage shopping, the majority of people stated that they did not like having to rummage loads to find something the loved. They preferred an easier layout. this is how i would like to lay out my own conceptual market. Selling vintage clothing doesn’t necessarily mean that the website needs to be dated, a weakness of this online platform i think its the actual appearance of it. It looks tea stained and old fashioned and doesn’t really look appealing or relates to the clothing they represent.I doesn’t excite me to look around it or buy from it, I want to make my space modern and clean and easily presented by style of garment, size tidied and less of a messy space, yet with vintage features. It has had alot of press, being featured in top magazines such as stylist magazine, cosmopolitan, wedding magazines for its beautiful vintage wedding dresses, vogue.com, the independent and more I think this could be a brand for me to collaborate with as it is established but could do with some more promotion, it is well organised and has the ethos i am looking for. Something that truley values vintage and wants to promote it to wider audience.
By looking at existing online platforms it enabled me to see what sort of places were successful, popular and also fitted in with my concept. It also created new avenues for me to explore with my development. A collaboration with an online platform would be amazing to be able to bring it offline and enable their customers to be involved and be able to see products properly before they buy something. Everything today seems to be going online, but no one is going the other way, back to an original market style. From the research, I now think that the best place to collaborate with would be an actual vintage store or online retailer, however my initial idea did not progress this way.
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INITIAL IDEA 30
After researching online marketplaces, i decided to focus on asos marketplace. I chose asos because, like covent garden, it sells both high end and high street clothing and accessories it is one of the biggest online retailers which attracts 23.2. Million visitors a month and it too, has a market place. I believe it would bring more diversity to covent garden, attracting more people to use it as a shopping destination and encourage vintage shopping amongst people who might not usually consider looking at something without a label. Some people love a bargain too! I wanted to keep in tie with covent gardens of market stalls and create a new market attraction. My idea is to collaborate with ASOS marketplace to build a physical marketplace where sellers can showcase and sell their items whether its clothing or accessories face to face with customers. This will build consumer relationships, and give
them a chance to see and feel the item properly before purchase. It will bring together the concept of virtual space and reality. Bringing asos marketplace to life. The market will be set up as a car boot sale installation with the sellers selling out the back of vintage cars with vintage dressers, mirrors and rails as props to set the scene and feel authentic and engaging. Each item of clothing will also have a QR code to scan on the label. This will lead you to the asos app where the item will be shown on video catwalk so the person can see how it looks in motion, it will also offer similar items that the consuemr may be interested in and an outfit builder, which will suggest items that would make a cool outfit and other items to buy from the asos website. The installation will be advertised on the underground to spread the word, and also on the asos website, sent out in an email to subscribers and on the marketplace front page. There will also be posters in and around covent garden leading up to the event. 31
BRICK
LANE
Ethnic area in east london associated with poor slums, Recent times have helped the area transform into a edgy, artistic area with galleries, restaurants markets and festivals. The old truman brewery houses a vibrant market where up and coming designer can showcase their garments. Chaotic, lively and bustling with unusual bric a brac and vintage clothing its impossible not to find something you love Vintage specialists from across the UK and Europe take part to display their wares at the Vintage Market at Old Truman Brewery. Clothing come from as far back as the 1920s and cover every decade up to the 90s. Whether it’s glam fur coats, feather capes, vintage bridal wear, men’s suits or distinctive accessories, there are bound to be some exciting discoveries to be made for both men and women.
E X I S T I N G V I N T A G E M A R K E T S 32
C
A
M
D
E
N
A weekend market was started in the 70’s in camden. The markets accent was on traditional crafts but soon broadened to include a wide variety of goods includinG antiques, and clothing and also many food stalls. The market soon began to attract large numbers of londoners and also tourists because of its quirky character and nature. It also has a unique location, right next to the canAl of camden lock. THE STABLES MARKET Adventurous fashion to vintage clothing shops 700 stalls and shops trading 7days a week. Food stalls and plenty of places to explore or sit and watch the world go by. An exciting market in a historic setting, many units housed in restored industrial buildings from canal and steam train ages. CAMDEN LOCK MARKET Established in 1975, this market started the phenomenon that now draws in thousands weekly to shop at the markets. CAMDEN LOCK VILLAGE A recently renovated area with 500 shop units selling clothing, accessories - not necessarily vintage THE MAIN STREET One of the biggest concentrations of vintage and retro clothing outlets in london. The arches at the stables market are bursting with vintage stalls and treasure troves. Often crammed top to bottom with items from all different ages.
S
P
I
T
A
L
F
I
E
L
D
S
Situated near liverpool street stattion, the perfect shopping destination open days a week. Main markets thurs-sunday offer something different each day. The thursday marked offers vintage and antique gems. Friday is great for clothing and art. Saturday offers a different theme each week, from affordable vintage clothing to the finest of old spitalfields traders, designers, makers and more THURSDAY MARKET seems most relevant to me, it is transformed into a cave of hidden treasures found by avid antique and vintage enthusiasts.
VINTAGE
CAR
BOOT
Earlier this year over 100 classic cars and vintage vehicles gathered on londons southbank for the first classic car boot sale curated vintage festival. Traders brought the finest of vintage vashion, homeware, pop culture memorabilia, operating from the boot of their vintage vehicles I cam across this after i had come up with my idea which turned out to be the exact same as this concept. Despite my concept being slightly different, i want to change my idea from this resarch i have found. I do however know that this kind of even is successful as this event had lots of press coverage and raised alot of money from entry. The vintage festival is a festival concept that celebrates british creativity. People dress up, buy it sell it enjoy it.
Fig 9. Vintage Car Boot Sale
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THE
VINTAGE
MARKET
Stockport is a once a month pop up event in a huge glass topped hall. Selling authentic vintage clothing and accessories for both men and women, jeweller, homeware, decorative items, luggage and collectables and generally anything with a vintage flavour. The hall is host to many events, and just celebrated its 750 year anniversary. It is a historic, vintage destination with an authentic feel to it. It is successful, has had alot of press surrounding it, and many visitors monthly. The ‘village’ feel to it reflects to my concept. I wanted to create a place where a community could come together. Using influences from this vintage village and adding my own, innovative flare to it i believe my concept will be successful.
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Fig 10.
Authentic market Screens instead of actual items enables you to browse and order there and then screens are scan-able - takes you to exclusive ASOS app with the outfit building and offers as before TOO ONLINE if you’re doing vintage - find out what people love about it. want to touch, feel, smell see quality more of a stunt of ASOS, how does it bring people to cg? why go outside to order online when you could sit in bed and do it- wheres the convenience? OK MORE DEVELOPMENT back to original market idea no car boot - a vintage village USE THE VINTAGE SHOPS ALREADY THERE once a month weekend marketeach month -different brand
D E V E L O P M E N T 35
T H E C O N C E P T
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TO PROPOSE A NEW CREATING A NEW MARKET A
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RETAIL ENVIRONMENT ATTRACTION IN COVENT M
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THROUGH GARDEN. :
TO DRIVE A NEW AUDIENCE TO COVENT GARDEN TO MAKE COVENT GARDEN AN EXCITING SHOPPING DESTINATION FOR THE MODERN DAY 20 SOMETHING. TO SEE COVENT GARDEN AS A VINTAGE SHOPPING DESTINATION, REAL, AUTHENTIC, AND ENGAGING
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A collaboration with local covent garden vintage shops. A market installation that happens for 3 days, Friday-Sunday once a month in the east side of the piazza in central covent garden. The 4 chosen stores are Rokit, Pop Boutique, Blackout 2 and the vintage showroom.
VINTAGE VILLAGE X ROKIT
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The market will appear as an authentic, realistic vintage market with vintage dressers, mirrors, rails and more. Food and drinks will also be available to make it a real day out, somewhere people can go for a sit down, as well as a shop. Each month the market will represent a different vintage shop, firstly promoting the ones in covent garden, then, if it is a success, ones from other areas such as Brick Lane to encourage their customers to see covent garden as a place for incredible vintage shopping experiences. The market will have a clean, nicely organised aesthetic, still with an element of rummaging which people like, however clothing will be evenly spread and not over crowded to accommodate to all consumers, as some said they didn’t like to rummage too much. Classic vintage tunes from all different eras will also be playing from an old juke box which customers can choose themselves. Clothing will be available for both men and women. The mens section will also have a vintage grooming section which will come at extra cost. This will consist of a couple of vintage leather barber chairs in which men can get their facial hair styled or trimmed and also a shoe shine service. Fancy beards and mustaches are such a big trend and every man should be proud of their tache, Vintage village is the perfect place for it to be groomed. The ladies section will have a vintage vanity room area in which they could get their hair and make up done, again at an extra cost, but as an added bonus to the experience to look and feel the part. This will also look great in the photo-booth
that will be in the vintage village, along with a dress up box where you can hire pieces of clothing instead of having to buy them, then have a great memory of the day with a set of photo-booth images. An interactive foil window will be placed in the shop front window for one week before the event starts. it will have images of 60 exclusive items, the best of the crop, available for customers to put on hold so they get first choice of the item. There will only be one or two of each in various sizes, and when they are held by one person, no one else can have access to the item. They then have to turn up at the event to have a look at the item, and check they love it then they can buy it, and because they got it exclusively before hand, they will be given discount on the item. If they don’t turn up for the item by a certain time, the item will become available to buy again. This will encourage consumers to return to covent garden later in the week to collect their item. On leaving the event, customers will be given a token, This token can be used for a free experience at the next vintage village event to encourage them to return again. Free experience will consist of a free beard trim, make over, or just food and drink. If they attend all 4 market and save all 4 tokens they will be entered for a prize draw to win a weekend away sponsored by the vintage vacation company. If the event is a success, it will carry on with stores from different locations such as brick lane to bring their customers to covent garden.
Fig 11. Fur Coats
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I chose rockit to be the first store to collaborate with because it is a very popular store already. It also has two other stores in london, camden and brick lane. These are top destinations for vintage shopping and hopefully it will encourage those who shop there,to come to covent garden to shop aswell, or instead. It is the flagship store in Covent Garden which is also really promosing. Rokit have an amazing team of specialists who will be able to pick out the best items for the vintage village market. ROKIT has already done a student lock in event in the covent garden store, this involved live dj’s, exclusve discounts and limited edition goody bags. The event went from store to store, and each one had queues out the door before it had even opened up for the event. Rokit clearly has a large student following which is great because this is the type of audience i want to bring to covent garden, younger poeple, with an interest in fashion Alongside the student event. Rokit also recently hosted a 20% off evening. This consisted of obvious discounts on all items in the Brick Lane stores. There was free wine, and goodie bags for the first lot of customers. Both events were successful, and had barely any promotion via the internet apart from a few social media posts. The rest was done by in store promotion therefore spreading the word to existing customers. I want to increase Rokits client base and encourage them to shop at covent garden.
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MODERN DAY 20 SOMETHINGS WITH AN ENTHUSIASM FOR EXCLUSIVE, VINTAGE FASHION
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PEOPLE
This will be my main Target Market, as this is the consumer age group that I feel are missing from Covent Garden. From my own observations of the area and also conversations with people, this audience do not regularly go to the area. The whole event will be aimed at this market, and also promoted towards them on platforms that they are associated with, such as social media which is a massive part of society today with platforms such as - twitter, Facebook, instagram, bloggers. As well as targeting an age group,I am going to focus on girls and boys, men and women, who love to shop vintage. It has been mentioned that the area does have some great vintage shops, but theres no focus on them. They’re not highlighted and are far away from the main piazza which is where the most footfall is. People tend to walk the opposite way of the vintage stores so they are not a focal point of covent garden compared to other london locations such as brick lane or shoreditch areas. Obviously, Covent Garden is a huge tourist destination, and it is incredibly busy at the weekends, more than just my target customer will visit the vintage village. Older people with a love for vintage will visit, and also people who just happen to be in the area. I do not want to restrict who can benefit from the vintage village, everyone and anyone who around can attend but my main aim is to increase the number of ’20 something fashion lovers’ to the area and target them with promotional techniques.
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The Vintage Village will be erected in the east side of the central Piazza. It is important to think about the process for the customer, how they arrive, what they do, how they feel and what the actual market will look like. This enables the idea to become clearer and more precise. Little details become refined and the concept begins to come to life.
THE PROCESS 44
There is a massive, unused space in covent garden around the Piazza, apart from a few outdoor seating areas for local bars and restaurants, there is nothing permanently featured there. It is often used for pop up events and displays, i think this will be the perfect spot for my market.
VINTAGE VILLAGE
I did think about using the Apple Market, but i thought, the people who sell in there, its mostly their livelihood, and If my concept was to take place, I would not want to take three prime shopping days away from them every month. Plus, featuring it in such an empty space, means all attention is on the attraction, rather than getting distracted by the surrounding permanent stores that are built into the interior of the apple market and piazza walls. I want to have the installation as a walk through, one way in, one way out therefore giving customers the chance to experience all of it, plus slowing traffic if it gets too busy or over crowded, the entrance can get closed off for a bit. The promotional in place in the will be present
poster will be lifts so signage from the start.
On exiting the station there will be vintage style sandwich boards with the logo and a directional arrow on it. When reaching the main piazza there will be another sandwich board to avoid any confusion on where the market will be. Visitors will be able to see the market as soon as they turn the corner. There corner coming
will be signage at each of the piazza for those from different directions.
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inspiration for mens area
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The Vintage Village will be surrounded by a white picket fence, have an archway to enter, and another to exit. To leave you must walk through the whole thing. This will help counting number of visitors. Upon entering the actual market the customer will be transported to an earlier time via the vintage aesthetics the market will have. Every aspect of the market will be vintage and themed and music will be playing off a juke box which people can select themselves. It will be split in to men and women. The women’s section will have clothing separated by garment type, e.g., shorts, shirts, dresses, then organised by size. The rails won’t be cluttered and will be easy to browse. Jewelry and accessories will be sold on smaller market stalls. The colour theme will be vintage pastels. The mens will be similarly organised, separated and organised by type of garment and size. Colours will be darker,more leather/bare brick feel to it. or the men, there will be a vintage barbers for mustache and beards. A grooming section including a shoe shine boy too. Beards and taches are such a trend at the moment, and it will enable men to have their facial hair tended to and styled.
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Fig 14 Fig 15 48
There will be 3 refreshment stalls as you walk through the market, which will be selling out of vintage caravans, selling various drinks and food. Once you have walked through each section at the end before leaving there will be a photo booth too with dress up for photo opportunity and hashtag too for social media sharing, this enables people to leave with a memory and also show off what they bought or there will be clothing available to hire too for a small price.
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The price is not always literal. My concept is going to affect many different people, it is going to cost them all in different ways, not just in price and money but in time and effort and emotion also. Vintage Village will have to deliver an exciting, memorable day out in order to fulfill the needs of the consumers and the client, Covent Garden. It has to have worth, and give back to the consumer and client alike.
THE PRICE 50
My consumer will have to invest their own time into my event. They will have to travel from their home location, to Covent Garden London to be able to participate and experience the monthly market. Consumers will not have to pay entry costs which will make it more appealing to them as everyone loves a free event! Although there will be some aspects of the event that will cost, such as the grooming room, vanity dressing room, photobooth and refreshments, it is a small cost to pay for the customer to have a really exciting day out and they will enhance their experience. They are not compulsory but will definitely be a highlight of the event and the day as a whole if they take part. There will be food and drinks available at cheaper prices than the local restaurants/cafes which should be more appealing, plus it is a new shopping experience which should be more enjoyable than normal s h o p p i n g . Why my event over another?why should
THE CONSUMER
customers travel to my event and spend their time and money at this event? It’s interactive and exclusive - it has not happened before. Its different to the norm - stands out from other vintage fairs. Its the combination of vintage and modern, combining technology with raw, vintage clothing. They will also receive freebees and discounts meaning they will get more from the even than they invest into it. For the stores existing customers, it will provide a more enjoyable experience, than just popping in to the usual store and having a browse. The items will be exclusive to the Vintage Village and not seen before in-store. Hand picked by a team of experts to give my customers the best and most exclusive items. The interactive screen available on the store window will also be more engaging for the existing customer- enhancing their in-store experience, but also attracting new customers and make more people want to come to the vintage village if they see this intriguing screen. The is fully engaging and gives the consumer the chance to get stuck in by using the screens or the code on the promotional poster to access the items before everyone else, or is also perfect for the casual passer by who just wants to have a look around.
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Covent Garden will also have to invest in my concept. They will have to let some space in order for my concept to be able to take place. I will rent the space off them, however it means for 3 days a month they space is unable to be given to anyone else. Covent garden must benefit from my concept for this to be reasonable, my concept needs to be better and have more scope than any other possible idea pitched to the,in order for me to guarantee the space. I believe my event will encourage more footfall around covent garden, people of a younger age using it to shop vintage, and hopefully encourage them to look around the other stores covent garden has to offer. It will give covent garden some youth, something to liven it up and purely to introduce people to the area that might not usually see it as a shopping destination or even visit it at all.
THE CLIENT - COVENT GARDEN 52
Each month will involve and be based upon a different vintage store in covent garden, and also vintage stores in different areas, to encourage visitors from there to come to Covent Garden for their vintage treasures. The vintage store will have to spend time searching for top items, different to what they already have in store in order to encourage the customer to visit the market in the centre of covent garden, rather than just shop in store. In return of their co-operation with the event, it will increase their sales as i hope to attract a large footfall over the 3 day market event, many of which, may not have previously shopped in the particular store it is based around, or even shopped vintage before.
THE VINTAGE S T O R E
It will increase customer base and overall awareness of the shops. More consumers will return to the store, after visiting the Vintage Village, if they know it offers great pieces which are both affordable and unique, By using the store in a large event in the middle of such an iconic London location it proves that the store is trustworthy, selling items of good quality and that are genuine vintage, not just last years old TopShop or TopMan that someone tries to pass off as vintage.
Overall, creating lots of awareness of the selected store, increasing its sales and expanding its customer base.
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B
In order to gain visitors and for the event to be successful it will need to be promoted as I want to attract a target market that are not already visiting Covent Garden often enough if atall. There are numerous ways of promotion but I am going to only use a few to be able to target my main audience.
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Bloggers are highly influential within todays society. With some blogs gaining more views and a higher circulation that some big name glossy magazines, they are an amazing way to spread the word of the Vintage Village. By using 10 influential bloggers with a large following, the news of the event will spread to thousands very quickly, especially those who do not visit Covent Garden and will not see the guerilla advertising via the tube stations etc. Giving them an exclusive preview of the interactive screen, the actual market and the products and experiences it offers will hopefully excite them, and encourage them to want to spread the word about it. After the bloggers write a post about the market it may encourage more people to visit the next one to show how amazing vintage shopping can be, how many treasures you can find, and also promoting the brand to the bloggers followers. It will help reach out to people who are not existing customers of the vintage brand, or even from covent garden. We will promote the event to the bloggers, and they will promote it to their followers.
THE PROMOTION 54
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15% Student discount will be applied with a valid student card. My target market is likely to involve a lot of students, discount will encourage them to buy as it is cheaper than it would be if it was available in store.
In order to reach out to the target market I am going to use the social media platforms of facebook, twitter and instagram of Covent Garden and also the particular brand the There will be other offers throughout market will be hosting that month. the day, such as buy one get one free on reminders and accessories or buy one get one half price. Promotional images, behind the scenes images will be There will be many perks and discounts posted. This gives the brand and and special offers are what people love. also Covent Garden an opportunity to Saving a little bit of money, or getting interact with its customers before the extra items than you were expecting to event and create a buzz and excitement. get is always a great feeling. Especially on top of an exciting, exclusive day. These offers are not available in PROMOTIONAL ADVERTISING store,therefore it will encourage A promotional poster will be posted on regular shoppers to come along and also the social media. This will also be entice others who cant resist a bargain! advertised on the tubes, up escalators at the stations that surround Covent Magazine and publication promotion Garden and also the covent garden Lifts. There are so many aspects that are associated This will attract people who are with vintage alongside fashion including visiting the local area to pop by. whole lifestyles. The promotional ad will It will also be on a smaller scale as be in the magazines leading up to the a postcard which will be placed in the event to promote it amongst those who have vintage stores participating and local a love for vintage already. One being the shops for people to take away and look at. Vintage life magazine. This is for both There will be one with a photo men and women for whom vintage is their shoot and one with just words, whole life,they live eat breathe vintage. both will be easy to read, clearly This would be a great platform to promote presented and promote the event well. the vintage village to people who already A small booklet will be printed with a more know about vintage and would travel far indepth description of the even, plus to come to my event. Music is a big part what is there and a price list for this. of the vintage lifestyle therefore I will For example the grooming section will be use these to promote to as well. As many an extra that will be paid for.This will of the people who love music will also be be placed in the same kind of places. interested in the fashion and the experience in general. This will give me a wide spread promotion to a huge number of people.
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THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE 56
In terms of measuring the success of the event there are many factors to consider both during and after the even that can be measured and noted. Firstly, a count of the number of visitors on the day. This will be noted as people come in via the entrance. The higher the number, the wider the word has spread and the more people have been able to enjoy the market. Another way is to use a hashtag on social media, we will then be able to monitor the number of tags, tweets and photos there were of the event. By using bloggers to promote the event, we would hope that they would post about it before and after, the more blogger conversion, the more success. Obviously the number of sales will also display if it was successful or not. Little sales means no one was really interested, higher sales hints the opposite. Also seeing how many people used the interactive screen and preordered an item, whether they all sold out or not would give an idea of whether it should be done again. Upon leaving the vintage village, customers will be given a post card, this will have a link to a questionnaire for feedback on the event, Rokit will also post this on their social media. This will give us a true reading of success from multiple viewpoints.
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List of Illustrations Fig 1. Boursnell, Clive (1968) Looking from the top of James Street by Long Acre and the Tube station towards the Central Market. At : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/galleries/9364861/Old-Covent-Garden-market-in-the-1960s-and-70s.html (Accessed on 15.11.13) Fig 2. The Vintage Showroom [Photograph] At: http://www.gentlemansgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Vintge-Showroom-in-London.jpg (Accessed on 28.11.13) Fig 3. Storage.[Photograph] At: http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/a6/3b/fb/a63bfb01f3b39000a05d54e085702fca.jpg (Accessed on 3.12.13) Fig 4. Gatwick Airport. [Photograph] At: http://www.retailtimes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/ pv_314.jpg ( Accessed on 28.11.13) Fig 5. Tesco Korea. [Photograph] At: http://rosenberg.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/tesco-virtual-store-korea.jpg (Accessed on 28.11.13) Fig 6. Kate Spade Saturday window. [Photograph] At: http://www.luckymag.com/shopping/2013/06/ kate-spade-saturday-window-shops/jcr:content/par/cn_contentwell/par-main/cn_slideshow/item1. rendition.slideshowVertical.kate-spade-saturday-windows-4.jpg (Accessed on 28.11.13) Fig 7. Kate Spade screen. [Photograph] At: http://www.luckymag.com/shopping/2013/06/kate-spadesaturday-window-shops_slideshow_item4_5 (Accessed on 28.11.13) Fig 8. Interactive Foil. [Photograph] At: https://www.projectionfilmshop.com/images/films/sun.jpg (Accessed on 28.11.13) Fig 9. Vintage Car Boot Sale [Photograph] At: http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/sites/default/files/imagecache/production_main_image/images/12_vintage_classic_car_boot_sale.jpg (Accessed on 3.12.13) Fig 10.Girl With Bow. [Image] At: https://fbexternal-a.akamaihd.net/safe_image.php?d=AQArEQtDUh prye6G&w=377&h=197&url=https%3A%2F%2Flh6.googleusercontent.com%2F-1bWXDFdaAsE%2F 58
UnYqTGmrJCI%2FAAAAAAAAKjI%2F4cV2tE92kjk%2Fs1600%2FMcCalls_Oct_1945_400.jpg&cfs=1 )(Accessed on 3.12.13) Fig 11. Fur coats. [photograph] At: http://instagram.com/p/gqRDUcEYKZ/ (Accessed on 13.11.13) Fig 12. Sequin rail [photograph] At: http://instagram.com/p/hdY4ftEYE1/ ( Accessed on 3.12.13) Fig 13. Event. [Poster] At: http://instagram.com/p/g5vsJ_EYOq/ ( Accessed on 3.12.13) Fig 14 Warhol, Andy (1989)Photobooth Pictures [photograph] At: http://assets.coolhunting.com/coolhunting/mt_asset_cache/2011/06/20/warhol-portraits2.jpg (Accessed on 6.12.13) andy warhol Fig 15. Photo-booth [photograph] At: http://www.312photobooth.com/Images_v2/digital_retro%20 2LR_Web.jpg (Accessed on 6.12.13)
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ROSIE STEPHENS