The New Enterprise: Pop-Ups

The brand and stockist-retailer experience has always been an interesting one. It’s like a marketing version of who came first, the chicken or the egg; who needs who, who wants what? In the past, independent streetwear brands have always been at the mercy of retailers to carry their brand or products. If we’re talking pre-Internet and web store days, retailer relationships meant everything for a brand’s well-being. Whether a brand meets success or an imminent demise hangs upon having a place to sell, a space to promote their products and vision.

In today’s fashion landscape however, everything we once knew has been flipped upside-down. Due to the Internet, the visibility of independent brands is at its highest point—and accompanied by the downfall of many retailers, online and otherwise. The most successful boutiques and retailers, however, have become even stronger powerhouses by adopting new methods, with partnerships and collaborations being the new golden tickets.

A running thread between the massive success of these collaborations was the pop-up event: unique physical retail experiences to supplement the product—after all, millennials apparently prefer to spend money on experiences above all else. Pop-ups are a way to bring these unique, once-off branding experiences to life, giving the brands’ personas—conveyed through online presence for the most part—a temporary place to live and breathe. These events are nothing new in the industry, but it’s worth noting that the culture itself grew from independent retailers and budding labels finding a more special way to offer their collaborative products. It’s only recently that household names like Ralph Lauren, Nordstrom, H&M, and other conglomerates are mimicking the phenomena that grew out of streetwear’s independent retail scene and necessity for relatively low-cost, effective marketing.

When done right, pop-ups have a way of making already-relevant brands more relevant, in addition to pushing fledgling labels into the limelight. Some of today’s best independent retailers have found this winning formula to being innovators in the pop-up scene. Maxfield in LA has caused some major buzz through its activations alongside Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God and music group Daft Punk. Olga Karput’s KM20 in Moscow saw success with in-store partnerships featuring Off-White and 032c while Kubo, founder of Tokyo’s GR8 flourished from its Kappa link-up. Jonathan Pak, owner of Patron of the New, has started 2018 with a Dior pop-up as well as a Palm Angels x Playboi Carti event during NYFW.

We speak to the stores’ founders on their consistent success, continued dedication to evolving the shopping experience and their future endeavors inside—as well as outside—of the pop-up scene.

OWNER: OLGA KARPUT

Q: What made you decide to open at a new location?

A: At some point in the old KM20, we simply could not fit in everything we wanted to. I had no choice but to find another “home” for the pieces and to provide the brands with proper merchandising.

In 2016 I found a separate building next to the church— three floors plus underground parking. It was the perfect location and I made the decision to move.

Q: What kinds of things do you consider when organizing collaborations, events and pop-up events?

A: There are two main questions. One, is it a project that moves the industry forward? Two, will we have fun and enjoy doing it?

Our launch parties are always some of the loudest parties in the city and I always receive requests from different brands and people about doing events.

I always end up repeating one thing: we are not an event agency, we will only do what makes sense for KM20 with those who we closely work with.

Q: How important are these projects to KM20's identity as a retail presence?

A: I think that special projects have become a huge part of KM20’s identity. And this is the only way I see now, how a store can stand out.

Working on the special projects with the best selected designers and delivering exclusive product to our clients worldwide, this is what made it possible for KM20 to become more than a local concept store.

Q: How does the whole collab process happen—do you choose who to work with?

A: It usually starts with a brief “let’s do something together” either from my side or from the designer’s side. After we make the decision to work together it comes down to product choice, quantities, production times, deliveries, events, promotion, among lots of other things.

One of the first designers we started to do mutual projects was with Gosha Rubchinskiy—we kinda started together back in 2008, I was selling his first ever collection. And our first mutual projects looked more like art installations.

Q: There are lots of store-owners who have become a part of their own store branding. Why has it become so common now for store owners to become these influential figures on their own?

A: Thanks to social media, everyone gets to be their own media. As for the concept store owners, becoming an influential person in the industry is more than understandable. A concept store is the owner’s personal vision.

Photography: Yana Davydova, German Larkin, Ilya Ivanov, Pavel Kryukov

OWNER: KUBO

Q: How do you choose who or what brands to work with for collabs and events?

A: We currently have 150 to 200 brands. For pop-up shops, we can present our merchandise to a new category of customers and that requires money, labor and time. There’s always a risk and there would be no success if there’s no respect, gratitude and love for these labels.

Last year for our 12th anniversary, we opened pop-ups featuring Fear of God, Heron Preston and more. The brands that collaborate with GR8 will move forward to the next step using GR8’s brand image. In a nutshell, we coexist and mutually prosper with pop-up shops.

Q: What do you think pop-up shops and installations do for retail shops nowadays?

A: Pop-up shops provide an experience you can’t find online. At the same time for us, it would mean that GR8 would be in the limelight.

New trends are now shifting to workshops and direct experience. I am confident that workshops are the ultimate form of retail. Designers, artists, and visitors talk it out in real life and strive to a clear objective.

Q: What are the challenges to building a store like this from the ground up to now?

A: The fashion industry is a really tough place. Independent stores like ours can possibly get acquired by larger companies and there are many people who retire and go to big companies. It can be tough sometimes for the people who work here so I really thank my staff. GR8 is independently-owned so there’s always freedom, yet there are always risks too.

Q: Why do you think storeowners now have become influential figures on their own?

A: This is just my opinion, but people are interested in what we buy. People are really interested to see us take risks in the amount we buy and see how we are putting all we’ve got into this business. This interest is what we could call the influence we are talking about now.

Q: What do you think about the future of streetwear?

A: This is forever. Even sleeping and rolling over in a park, even wearing Jil Sander or Louis Vuitton, they are all “street.” That’s what we call fashion right? That is why I would like to continue being in Harajuku my whole life, doing what I can to push the culture.

Photography: C/O GR8

BUYING DIRECTOR: SARAH STEWART

Q: Maxfield has had a long history with LA's highend shopping culture. What major changes has the brand had to make in order to get with the present times?

A: Creative ideas hit the market faster now, so responding faster to shifting consumer desires is the biggest challenge.

Q: By carrying brands like Off-White, Enfants Riches Déprimés and Fear of God, high-end streetwear has become a signature style for Maxfield. What makes your establishment such a draw for these labels to work with you? What does Maxfield offer differently in comparison to other shops in the LA area?

A: We have always believed in making a statement for the designers and brands we choose to work with.That, and the level of customer service and the rich diversity in the products we carry create a very unique experience for both the client and the collection.

Q: You have held the highest standards in terms of executing pop-up events. Why is pop-up culture such an important part in Maxfield's DNA?

A: It creates a direct and dynamic relationship with our clients and allows them to experience a brand in its entirety and allows us to express a specific point of view.

Q: What challenges have you currently faced when delivering these ultra-creative pop-ups to your customers? What is the end-reward for Maxfield, once it’s completed?

A: In the end, we have offered a creative cultural event for our clients, and perhaps had the opportunity to introduce Maxfield to a new audience.

Q: With such big productions, is the return-on investment for pop-ups worth it for the shop? What kind of boost in sales does Maxfield experience during and after the pop ups?

A: Yes, it is worth it. It is more about developing the relationship with the brand, and offering a limited product to our client outside the traditional experience.

Q: Will pop-up activations get bigger and more dramatic at Maxfield? What are some future ideas the brand would like to execute?

A: Not necessarily. You will have to stay tuned for future events!

Q: Where do you see Maxfield's own shopping culture evolving in the next few years?

A: That is the question on everyone’s mind in retail! We need to continue pushing boundaries.

Photography: C/O Maxfield

FOUNDER: JONATHAN PAK

Q: What were some of your motivations to open Patron of the New? How did you initially plan for the space's success?

A: I grew up in New York, loving fashion, and was never able to find a store that carried all my favorite brands in one place. All the stores were lacking an experience and I knew I could curate the one I was looking for.

Q: What differentiates Patron of the New from other boutiques and department stores in New York City? What kind of a shopping experience can customers expect at your establishment?

A: Our store stands out because we are family-owned and operated. We showcase brands we love and wear. We lead with what we think is cool and avoid anything that doesn’t feel right for us.

Q: You're one of the few, if not the only boutique in New York that has mastered the art of pop-ups. How crucial is it for you to do these events?

We have the opportunity to have personal relationships with all the brands we carry. This gives us the freedom to let brands express their vision within our space.

Q: What steps do you take in order to execute pop-ups that would draw in people?

A: Through social media we have a larger reach and can keep all of our patrons in-the-know.

Q: Collaboration is big in the fashion industry. You've linked up with the likes of Dior, Heron Preston and Palm Angels—what is it about Patron that makes brands want to collaborate with you?

A: We’ve created a place where brands feel comfortable knowing we will be able to execute their vision and bring the hype.

Q: Names like Cardi B, J Balvin, Playboi Carti and more frequent your store. What makes Patron such an ideal place for celebrities, artists and athletes to shop there?

A: Because we bond on a personal level and it’s not just about the business.

Q: In terms of pop-ups, what things do you feel you could do more to improve on these special events you host? Are there a few brands out there you'd want to work with?

A: Hedi has been my greatest inspiration since day one. His direction motivated me to get where I am today. With his new position at Céline I would be honored to collaborate with him in the future.

Photography: Jackson Ray