Time Travel for Individualists

The store’s warm atmosphere is created by brick walls, copper, brass, wood, and vintage furniture.

Chrys tall /Düss eld orf. In her shop located on Düsseldorf’s Fürstenplatz, Simone Chrystall takes her customers back in time. She has all the right ingredients: vintage interior, a carefully selected product range, and loving details characterise this very special concept store.

Text: Ina Köhler, Photos: Chrystall Fürstenplatz is not considered to be one of the classic shopping miles in Düsseldorf. However, the area around the square is quickly developing into a hip quarter. One contributing factor to this development is the commitment of a woman with a knack for trends. In 2008, Simone Chrystall - then still together with her partner Alexandra Kiefermann - opened her first store under the label Iheart. “That was real pioneering work”, she explains. “Fürstenplatz was not a fashion location at all back then.” Simone Chrystall’s store underwent a thorough re-launch last year. She added another two rooms and expanded the product range. The result is a 350 square metre Chrystall shop that is as comfy as your own living room or an old English club. The concept makes sure it does not exclude men or children. The latter can browse through fashion, as well as shoes, toys, and special accessories under the label Chrystall Kids, in a separate room. “Many of our regular customers visit our store together with their partner, so it made sense to expand the product range to cover the entire family”, Chrystall explains.

Eye Candy for Explorers

The store, which is full of nooks and crannies, is true eye candy for lovers of vintage items. Bicycles stand next to plush chairs, cute toys in apothecary cabinets next to children’s books. Vintage lamps, that can be purchased as well as admired, can be found next to old sailing boats and boxing gloves in library shelves with beautiful patinas. The interior is a delightful mixture of the old and new: product displays made of copper pipes and a brass shoe wall stand in stark contrast to floral tapestries, carpets, and raw brickwork. The Chesterfield sofa, industrial lighting elements, showcases, chairs, and iron cupboards give the store a special touch. The interior design was done by Simone Chrystall

Atmospheric - tin toys, board games, old furniture, bicycles, and many other items characterise the store’s unique charm.

herself, who is a professional civil engineer. She draws her inspiration from her countless trips to the metropolises of the world. That’s also where she finds the ideas for all the items that can be found in her store: high-class soaps and scented candles, key rings, backgammon games, and tin toys that are the perfect presents for both young and grownup enthusiasts. “It is important to me that my shop stocks items for all budgets - from smaller gifts to highend leather jackets”, Chrystall explains. Right from the start, the concept included the adjacent Bar Apartment, which is furnished in the same vintage style. It serves coffee and cakes, small delicacies, and even the odd reading. “I cannot imagine the store without the cafe, as many people combine a visit to our shop with a short shopping break”, the owner explains. The Fürstenplatz may not be the Königsallee, but it’s most definitely a more individual area. In June 2014, a second Chrystall branch opened in Flurstrasse in the trendy Flingern district. It’s a delightful mix of fashion, bar, and kitchen.

Simone Chrystall: “It is im- portant to me that my store stocks items for all budgets.”

Chrystall

Fürstenplatz 5, 40215 Düsseldorf/Germany, Flurstrasse 74 40235 Düsseldorf/Germany www.chrystall.com Opening: October 2013 Employees: 7 Sales area: 350 sqm Women’s brands: 5 Preview, Black Lily, Closed, Drykorn, Dondup, Hip Tee, Iheart, Sita Murt, Tigha, Zoe Karssen Men’s brands: 29, Closed, Denham, Gabba, Nudie, Tigha, Love Nail Tree Children’s brands: 5 Preview, Scotch & Soda, Maileg, Minymo, New Balance, Olden Mea Accessories brands: Alex Monroe, Alberto Fermani, Becksöndergaard, Black Lily, Espadrij, Ilse Jacobsen, Moma, Melissa, New Balance, Philippe Model, Ugg

Saleswoman with Heart and Soul

Eve Pure Fas hion/ Schweinf urt. Finally arrived - after two moves, the store Eve has set up shop in Schweinfurt’s Rückertstrasse. On two floors it stocks fashion for women - and now also for men.

Text: Nicoletta Schaper. Photos: Eve Pure Fashion Evelyn Stütz was of the opinion that Schweinfurt lacked stores with high-end fashion at affordable prices. Based on this belief she opened her first small store in Kirchgasse in 2008 and introduced the industrial town with 40,000 residents to brands that it had not seen before: Drykorn, Closed, and Friendly Hunting. Pronto Moda from Italy was soon added to the list. The success proved her right and the store concept quickly found its fans. The 65 square metre shop was soon bursting at the seams, which is why the business was moved to larger premises in Brückenstrasse - a 1B location - two years later. Another store with a younger and more affordable product range followed suit.

New Field

However, Evelyn Stütz soon realised that she can only be in one place at a time. Her solution was to open a new 200 square metre Eve store in a prime location, in a lively environment in the midst of shoe and fashion retailers, as well as cafes. This happened in May last year and proved to be yet another inspired decision. The new Eve shop is bright and friendly. The lobby is generously spaced with an appropriately airy

presentation of a few highlights such as embroidered tunics by Star Mela from London, printed shirts by Fame On You from Paris, and a lace bikini by Patrizia Pepe. A large wooden staircase leads to an equally large upper floor. “Now I feel like I have finally arrived where I belong”, says Evelyn Stütz, who has also decided to add men’s fashion as a new business field. On a space of 30 square metres in the rear section of the ground floor the store displays a small coherent range consisting of sportswear by Closed and Destressed from Denmark, shirts by Q1, and shoes, as well as handkerchiefs. “I was often asked to do something for men too”, she says. “However, I was also warned that men simply buy less and mostly go shopping on weekends. We already have some loyal fans and we hope that their number will increase.”

Focus on Service

Over time, the concept of Eve became increasingly high-end. A small section with Pronto Moda items is still part of the concept, mainly because Evelyn Stütz believes that this product mixture is essential to her clientele. “I do notice the gap is widening constantly”, she says. This is why the store owner travels far and wide to acquire new products without pre-ordering. At the same time she is a saleswoman with heart and soul whenever her role as mother allows her to do so. All the more she needs to rely on excellent sales personnel to represent her in her absence. “We stand for honest and competent advice, which is often poor in other stores”, Evelyn Stütz explains. “A store like ours is successful because of its service level; it is important for us to build a personal and friendly relationship with our customers.” The first six years of Eve were a whirlwind with four new openings and three closures. “That cost a lot of strength”, Evelyn Stütz acknowledges. “But it was the right decision to focus exclusively on one store. We developed step by step to become what we are today.”

Eve Pure Fashion

Rückertstrasse 9, 97421 Schweinfurt/Germany, www.eve-pure-fashion.de Opening: September 2008; Reopening: May 2013 Owner: Evelyn Stütz Sales area: 200 sqm Women’s brands: 7 For All Mankind, AG Adriano Goldschmied, Closed, Citizens of Humanity, Drykorn, Iheart, J Brand, Lala Berlin, Patrizia Pepe, Rich & Royal, Set, Selected Femme Men’s brands: Closed, Destressed, Lucky de Luca, Q1, Thiga Shoe and accessories brands: among others AA Copenhagen, Bloch, Hipanema, Hudson, Hüftgold, Fiorentini & Baker, Leaf,Mischmasch, n.d.c., Sam Edelmann, Shabbies Amsterdam, Stylesnob

Got Milk?

TYPE HYPE/BER LIN . The design label Type Hype has opened its Berlin-based concept store under the roof of the in-fashion Hotel Lux Eleven. It is a unique homage to the art of typography in combination with a milk bar.

Text: Kay Alexander Plonka, Photos: Ailine Leifeld Two leading personalities of the German creative scene are the driving force behind Type Hype. Kirsten Dietz and Jochen Rädeker run one of the most renowned design studios in the country. More than 600 awards are a testament to the quality of their work, among them 30 Awards of Excellence from the legendary Type Directors Club of New York, as well as Grand Prix awards in all major design competitions in Europe, the US, and Asia. Furthermore, Kirsten Dietz is the author of numerous design books, while Jochen Rädeker was at the helm of the Art Directors Club Deutschland (ADC), the association of Germany’s best creative minds, until 2012. After 20 years of commissioned work for top brands, the two launched their own label named Type Hype with a collection of premium design items centred on the alphabet. It is tailor-made for everyone who values touchable design, high-quality print work, and tangible quality in our digital era. Sustainable manufacturing and the typical metropolitan lifestyle of Berlin are combined with individual designs. The products from the segments paper ware, home collection, accessories, food culture, and tableware are available in versions with letters and numbers in five design lines from vintage to pure, from fine art to Bauhaus. “Berlin is the only place where tradition and innovation, East and West, and art and industry culture merge in a truly innovative manner”, say the founders Kirsten Dietz and Jochen Rädeker. “Type Hype was born from this lively mixture.”

Love for Tradition

The store had been open for a mere two months when it won the “Store of the Year 2014” award from the German trade association in the “Out of Line” category. This prize is annually awarded to outstanding and innovative retail concepts. The Type Hype concept store sets the scene for the product range with a lot of attention to detail.

The foundersJochen Rädeker and Kirsten Dietz combine art, industry culture, and slow-food. It is therefore fairly logical that it also revives another tradition. In the good old days typesetter apprentices had to drink litres of milk while working, which is why Type Hype decided to incorporate a milk bar. This bar does not only offer fresh biological milk from Brandenburg and coffee specialities from Berlin-based coffee roasters, but also a range of slow-food snacks from milk chocolate to butter sandwiches. The excellent quality of the food culture within the store is guaranteed by none less than Otto Geisel, the founder and initiator of Stuttgart’s slow-food trade show “Markt des guten Geschmacks” and the bachelor course “Food Management” at the dual university of Baden-Württemberg.

Type Hype Store & Milchbar

Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse 9/13 10178 Berlin/Germany Opening: December 2013 Owners: Kirsten Dietz, Jochen Rädeker Employees: 7 Sales area: 100 sqm

Old industrial lights illuminate lead type- setting coffers and an ancient Korrex proofing press, there- by creating the flair of a printing shop from the last century.

It’s a Girl!

PKZ WO MEN /ZURICH . When it opened in March, PKZ Women in Zurich instantly became the largest women’s fashion retailer in Switzerland. This is the birth of the new PKZ.

Text: Dörte Welti. Photos: PKZ In March, Ph. Olivier Burger, the CEO of PKZ Group, presented his rather large new baby in front of 1,500 guests on Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich’s legendary shopping mile. The store boasts 3,000 square metres of sales area on four levels, houses a restaurant with around 50 seats on the third floor, and even offers a large terrace with near to 100 seats. The businessman’s first assessment after a few weeks is positive - both the mother and child are healthy, but now the baby needs to learn how to walk. But he’s not rushing it. The HSG graduate and studied business economist was never one to force an issue.

Continuity as Tradition

PKZ has been on the market for no less than 133 years. In 1881, Paul Kehl launched Switzerland’s first men’s fashion collection in Winterthur. The business was moved to Zurich three years later, which explains the three-letter name of the company. PKZ

Glamour where it’s due: Ph. Olivier Burger and his wife, Hilda BurgerCalderon, at the opening of PKZ Women in Zurich.

was always known as a place for men, even though it’s common knowledge that women normally shop for their men or at least have the final say regarding what’s purchased. Olivier Burger, who runs the group as a representative of the third generation, carried the idea to transform the ten acquired Feldpausch stores, a company founded in 1927 as a women’s fashion retailer, and new locations, such as the store in Sihlcity Zurich, into PKZ Women around with him for a very long time. His patience was severely tested. The conversion of the store in Zurich in general was testing, as were the efforts to obtain planning permission for an enormous 50 square metre LED installation by the British artist Julian Opie. The latter occupies 7 metres of shop window space facing the Bahnhofstrasse. A project like this would have been unthinkable until now.

Burger Knows What Women Want

At the end of the day everything went smoother than initially anticipated, says Olivier Burger. The most satisfactory result is that the regular customers have stayed loyal despite the name change; this can be witnessed in all PKZ Women stores. After all, the group knows its business and had the presence to ask its female customers what they desire. The core statement was surprisingly obvious: “If the product range is coherent and I get to keep my sales advisor, then I really don’t care what name is on the door.” The boss guarantees this continuity in the renovated Zurich store and all other branches that will be modernised one by one. The company remains true to its roots while still going with the times. The twelfth branch is online. Olivier Burger is particularly proud of his PKZ.ch online shop, especially of the fact that the web-shop is the first to allow its customers to directly pay with their PKZ credit card via an application on smart phones or tablets. He is not worried that the online shop may take away from the stationary retail business. His experience tells him that the modern woman knows what she wants. She is used to making her own pre-selection and has no interest in being approached soon after she enters the store. She gathers information on all channels, naturally also online. The StylePad-Lounges at PKZ Women highlights the connection between offline and online. Everything has been taken into consideration, even the negative aspects of the online business. A return ratio of more than 33% needs to be acknowledged and managed from a logistical point of view. This is factored in, which is typical for Olivier Burger. Everything happens as it is intended, even the fact that the fourth generation is already lining up to take responsibility. Both sons are still completely independent from the parent company, but are already gaining experience in the fashion business. What else would you expect from real PKZ men?

PKZ WOMEN

Bahnhofstrasse 88 8001 Zurich/Switzerland www.pkz.ch Owner: PKZ Group, CEO Ph. Olivier Burger Founded: March 2014 Sales area: 3,000 sqm Employees: 70 Brands: among others 7 For All Mankind, Akris Punto, Allude, Armani Jeans, Armani Collezioni, Ba&sh, Brax, Burberry, Cambio, Closed, Coccinelle, Comma, Costume National, Diesel, Dondup, Drykorn, Gant, Gerard Darel, Giorgio Brato, G-Star Raw, Hugo Boss, Issa London, J Brand, Liebeskind, Luisa Cerano, Maison Scotch, Maje, Marc Cain, Marc O’Polo, Michael Kors, Moncler, Mother Jeans, Odd Molly, Parajumpers, Paul Kehl, Paul & Joe, Pepe Jeans, Pinko, Polo Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren, Red Valentino, Sandro, Schumacher, See by Chloé, True Religion Brand Jeans, Woolrich Accessories brands: among others Alberto Fermani, Coccinelle, Converse, Furla, Jerôme Dreyfuss, L’Autre Chose, Michael Kors, Moma, New Balance, Pretty Ballerinas, Pura Lopez, UGG, Vic Matié

The art installation that shows moving humans is a real revolution in Zurich.