BRIC studio boutique
SIES!isabelle summer 2018 Chris dress in raw silk
Introducing Isabelle Lotter
Her brand SIES!isabelle and was born in
In the past Isabelle has hosted an army
2006 out of a love for creating. Playing
of interns and developed an extensive
with fabric, sculpting a garment that can
mentorship program; facilitating the
be worn and creating something that is
transition from student to fashion
useful to lift her muse’s self image is the
designer and business owner.
main philosophy behind SIES!isabelle. The goal is to add magic to whoever wears or interacts with her clothing.
She has only, in the past year, truly realised the value of sharing her space, resources and knowledge with like-
Through fifteen years of industry
minded designers on a equal footing.
experience; working in production and
Though their individual experiences
retail, she has set up and invested in a
they contribute as much as they gain
production studio that can fabricate her
building a mutually beneficial
ideas and collected an extensive
relationship and so the concept of
network of creatives.
Fabricate was conceived.
BRIC studio boutique
Ethical fashion industry Personally I feel strongly that more emphasis need to be placed on the hands that create the clothing that we
Concept:
Fabricate is a
wear. Though sharing a behind the
collective of creatives and clothing
scenes peek into the creative and
designers. Our mission statement is to
creation process we inform our clients
establish a network that can work
who will in turn become ambassadors
collectively; individually, parallel or
for the ethical movement; building
though collaborations. By sharing
respect for garment industry workers
resources and overlapping duties we are
and promoting a sustainable fashion
able to reduce our own workload, be
industry. Collectively we are only able
more productive and thus create a
to fully pursue this ideology once our
more sustainable fashion industry.
own position as entrepreneurs and designers, has been secured and for this
Our current shared studio is in Kyalami
we need a retail platform.
in a light industrial business park. We have a sample studio, small run
Retail
production facility, design space, an
As Lucilla regularly teases me I do enjoy
office and an eclectic boutique. Here we
interacting with shoppers, but I'm not a
host monthly pop up events and clients
dogged salesman. My only aim is that the
are invited to come shop, mainly by
client walks out with only that which
appointment. In addition we are
she truly has to have. I do not want to
generating quite a steady flow of walk-in
feed the consumer driven “more, more,
clients even though we are off the
MORE” monster, but would much
beaten track.
rather encourage my client to invest in
classic, higher quality, designer pieces. I would rather she come back for more than come back to return something she should not have bought. Fabricate Studio Boutique in Midrand
Once upon a time in a land Four-a-ways A curated collection of local design
no less magical.
talent lures one into the boutique. Housed in a minimalistic yet modern
Once one has left the wonderland (with
shell all the emphasis is placed on the
a full shopping bag and a content smile)
clothing which magically floats above
the memory lingers in your mind, eager
the floor. Hints and suggestions of more
to share the experience you retell the
interesting pieces entice you deeper
story of your adventures and plan who
into the shop. Here one gets to meet
to invite next time you pop down the
the designers, share a glass of bubbly and
rabbit hole.
hear the stories behind the creations. Browsing through the boutique becomes a layered treasure hunt with new gems added regularly to a carefully curated collection of designs.
At the deepest point in the boutique is the warm, safe cocoon where one can fit your selection of treasures and be tempted with an array of accessories to complete the look. Any small alteration can quickly be done by the elves in the attic that sculpt dresses out of silks and cobble shoes from leather. Meeting the elves makes the story more real but
SIES!isabelle winter 2014 shown at SAFW
Darklands, Berlin
Overview
when she ďŹ nds her perfect dress to be
The focus of the boutique needs to be
one of the most inspiring and rewarding
on creating an experience, more than
aspects of the cycle.
just making sales. We need to give shoppers something they have never
Being in an an upmarket retail space
experienced before. Clothing they do
gives designers a more professional and
buy needs to entice them back to the
respectable platform from which to
shop every time they wear it, hungry to
interact with private clients and
experience more of that magic. Though
wholesale buyers.This grows the public
limiting the amount per style we create
perception of fashion designers, adds
value in scarcity encouraging shoppers
value to our product thus allowing us to
to return regularly and discover their
soar higher and create more magic.
own style. Our vision is to convert the upstairs
Our goal is to source stock from 10 to
space into a sample studio from which
15 locally based, ethical designers,
designers can interact, collaborate and
curating a selection of mainly ladies'
create. This allows the designers to be
wear complimented with accessories
on-call for their clients while they
and introducing mens' wear, children's
conceptualise new ideas and oversee
wear and home ware.
the fabrication of their designs. Many
We would select designers based on
designers design without interacting
their ďŹ nancial success at previous pop
with the end consumer and so lose
up events powered by South African
touch with what their needs are. By no
F a s h i o n We e k a s we l l a s t h e i r
means do we want to limit designers
commitment to our vision. Quality,
into creating purely for retail, but I have
originality in design and a cohesive look
found that seeing a client's face light up
throughout the boutique would be key
t o c re a t i n g a l u x u r y s h o p p i n g experience. In order to maintain momentum and create hype we would host regular events such as seasonal launches and Celebrate You days, and in store activations like “meet the designers” or “find your perfect Christmas party dress”.
Financially most designers are not able to independently open brick and mortar stores in upmarket shopping malls. Though doing this as a collective
Fabricate Studio Boutique in Midrand
we will be able to share resources and the cost of setting up and fitting out the
Studio Boutique and Design Quarter.
boutique and studio space. Going further and setting up a design As it is tricky to gauge the response and
a n d p ro d u c t i o n s t u d i o o n t h e
potential success of this new venture
mezzanine level would obviously
therefore a two month trial period to
require a longer term commitment (24-
set up the boutique would be a great
36 months minimum) as the setup cost
introduction. Collectively and though
would be much higher. I do believe that
our affiliation with South African
this would make it a more sustainable
Fashion Week we would be able to
space as designers would be actively
generate a huge amount of publicity
involved in the shop on a daily basis. I
mutually benefitting both Fabricate
believe educating the client as to where,
by whom and how their garments are
approaching SA Fashion week with this
made adds a huge amount of value to
fantastic opportunity. I believe that we
the final product. Adding a story to a
will be able to draw a new clientele to
purchase helps builds a relationship
Design Quarter and inject a bit of
between a designer and the consumer
fashion to “this side of the highway” as
inspiring brand loyalty and return
Wesley so succinctly put it. Though this
clientele.
revolutionary shopping experience we can create a mutually beneficial long
I would like to thank Design Quarter for
term relationship.
Look & feel of
BRIC studio boutique
suggesting hidden spaces and secret passage ways. An almost naked shop focusses all the attention on the designer product and also allows us to change the look and feel of the shop overnight (like the little elves that we are). This would encourage return clientele curious to see what we’re up to this week.
The double volume of the front half of the shop allows us to play, by suspending rails, mannequins, store window decoration and products from a exaggerated height. If we go ahead with the studio on the mezzanine level the glass box would be the ideal space to have designers working and giving a clients a voyeuristic peek into their creative process.
The space, with its large glass front, allows us the freedom to experiment with magical window displays. This would invite clients into the store interested to see the product that could inspire this madness.
The concept is to have the basic shop fittings quite neutral and almost invisible; Black metal rails, white walls, cement flooring and using frameless mirrors to create an illusion of more:
In addition it could potentially generate additional social media and press. An #instafashion photo booth would invite our clients to become part of the shop window.
Fitting rooms For most women getting undressed in front of a mirror is quite a traumatic experience. Our goal is to create a safe space with warm lighting, dramatic curtains forming a gentle cocoon, soft carpets on the floor and added touches like “You are beautiful” written on the mirror to comfort our shoppers. A couch in the fitting room area allows the customer's companions a comfortable space to rest their weary legs and thus be more prone to being enthusiastic about their spouse / friend's new look. An additional entertainment area for children would also allow mothers a more relaxed shopping experience. The space below the stairs could be the perfect Potter-esque play area.
BRIC TE studio boutique ing rooms
Layout:
couch
mirror mirror
Stairs rail rail
rail rail
paypoint
rail
rail
mirror
Enrtance
rail rail
accessories
rail
rail
mirror
the creative studio aspect.
rail
location to shift focus to our retail front while maintaining
mirror
The store space in Design Quarter would be an ideal
mirror mannequins
rail rail rail rail s
rie
sso
e acc
rail rail
mannequins Entrance
Window
mannequins