Dressing Up Is Not What We Do

Bel Éta ge by Bungalow / St utt gart. Launching a women's store with Bel Étage by Bungalow was both a logical step and a challenge for Uwe Maier. After six years in the service of men's fashion, the Bungalow boss is daring to enter a terrain dominated by femininity.

Text: Jeanette Fuchs. Photos: Bel Étage

Uwe Maier is a man of very few words. Typically male? Not necessarily, the Bungalow boss immediately puts an end to this gender stereotyping: Just as there are women who can power shop and be done and dusted in five minutes, there are men who can spend a leisurely three hours on the lookout for their favourite pieces. To put it in a nutshell, "there are these kinds, and those kinds", says the experienced industry insider.

Fashionable, but Not Loud

But the positive excitement that has been hanging in the air since Bel Étage opened in July 2012, does have more of a feminine nature to it. Even if the typical Bel Étage customer described by Maier is "fashionably broadminded, but never loud". Concise and expressive words lie on the lips of the managing director of Bungalow and Bel Étage; words like quality, superiority and understatement. When asked how he would dress his favourite customer, he lets descriptions such as perfect fit and workmanship fall. That these are always in line with the individual needs of the woman in question, goes without saying. "We don't want to dress people up", the Bel Étage owner is quite clear about that. Stooping to pigeon-hole thinking isn't something that Uwe Maier allows himself to do either: "Nowadays, it's difficult to stick an age or a gender onto target groups. You run the risk of excluding potential customers doing that."

Fancy some Advice

Bungalow has been a constant on the Stuttgart fashion scene for six years, and although it shows the direction for the female counterpart, it should still allow sufficient space for individual growth - such are the specifications. Although both shops carry the same signature in terms of statement and style, they have made it a declared objective to create an independent store out of Bel Étage. However, it is still rooted in the same basis: The two pillars of service and advice are just as appreciated by the female clientèle as by the regular customers in the gentleman's department. "We love giving advice and enjoy serving. The concept is constructed in such a way that we also have the necessary time to provide advice", says the fashion pro. But it is also still "perfectly okay" if no advice is needed. But when it is needed, then the customer has our undivided attention". Great attention has also been paid to the product range: Well-known labels rub along with other, as yet unknown, newcomers and a great deal of effort and care has gone into their selection.

Exciting Game of Contrasts

The chosen location of Bel Étage by Bungalow also creates deliberate contrasts: The fashionable items are presented on the first floor of the Bar Suite 212 in Theodor-Heuss-Strasse, the modern architecture provides an exciting foil for the soft flowing materials. The wide expansive window front is a key factor in creating the flair of an urban loft, but doesn't take anything away from the cosy living-room atmosphere. It's fair to presume that women who've previously been accompanying

Uwe Maier: The men's fashion pro is daring to enter female territory.

their partners to Bungalow men's store are now finding their way to the Bel Étage. However, attempts are also being made to win over new customer groups. The online shop is one of a number of things providing incentives. It underwent a relaunch at the same time as the store was opened and, according to Maier, also provides a source of information for stationary customers. Excitement – perhaps it's not just a female phenomenon? After the Bel Étage opening, Uwe Maier is anything other than serene: "It never stops. True, there is a certain amount of routine that comes with it, but it is still remains exciting."

Bel Étage by Bungalow

Theodor-Heuss Strasse 15, 70174 Stuttgart/Germany Opening: July 2012 Owner: Uwe Maier Staff: 4 Retail space: 100 sqm Labels: Acne, Alexander Wang, Aspesi, Attic & Barn, Boglioli, Brogden, Carven, ChatCwin, Cruciani, Duffy, Helmut Lang, Hope, Iti, Joseph, Maison Martin Margiela, Nude, Steffen Schraut, T by Alexander Wang, Tibi NY, Tomas Maier, Tonello, Vanessa Bruno. Jewellery: Saskia Dietz Shoes: Acne, Common Projects

An imposing staircase invites you to walk through the twisting rooms in Fivestory.