Wallpaper 5

Last year Birkenstock debuted its

Birkenstock Box, a mobile retail concept

designed by Gonzalez Haase and

featuring stacked freight containers,

which act as blank boxes for the design

whims of Birkenstock’s collaborators,

ranging from Andreas Murkudis in Berlin

to Barney’s New York. Now the Box

is pitching up outside Rick Owens’

La Brea Avenue boutique in California.

‘Retail experiences must deliver

the unexpected,’ says Birkenstock

CEO Oliver Reichert. ‘The Box is about

creating a holistic experience, a creative

platform and meeting place where

product and architecture interact.’

Rick Owens has raised the roof on

Reichert’s immersive aim, overhauling

the interior of the Birkenstock Box with

organic elements inspired by ‘a Joseph

Beuys temple’. The two-storey space

features mirrored- and army felt blanket-

lined walls, and is dotted with interior

design objects, including ‘Prong Camel’

sculptures in foam, steel concrete and

camel skin by Owens’ company

Owenscorp. The Box also boasts Owens’

take on Birkenstock’s signature ‘Arizona’,

‘Madrid’ and ‘Boston’ styles in army felt,

suede, leather and cow fur, complete

with leather footbed lining.

‘I wanted to subtly corrupt their

shape,’ Owens says. ‘I extended the

sandals’ straps longer than is practical,

and added more holes as a reverse

embellishment.’ A range of his brand’s

clothing has been specially created

for the store, including idiosyncratic

dropped-crotch shorts and draped jersey

dresses. ‘My thoughts went to a sun-

worshipping nudist colony,’ Owens says.

‘And robed igures in Cecil B DeMille

epics. I’ll be wearing my Birkenstocks

with cashmere jogging pants when I walk

on the Adriatic Coast this summer.’

birkenstockbox.com

Box

fresh

Rick Owens revamps

Birkenstock’s retail

pop-up space

LEFT, ‘MADRID’ COW FUR

SANDALS IN GREY, £205;

CLOTHING, ALL BY RICK

OWENS X BIRKENSTOCK,

FROM THE BOX

THIS PICTURE, ‘PRONG

CAMEL’ SCULPTURE

BY OWENSCORP, AMONG

SEVERAL FEATURED

IN THE STORE

Never underestimate the money-

making prowess of a pop artist. Music

sales may be under siege, but the

merchandise they sell isn’t. T-shirts,

wristbands and caps have long been

staples of global tours, but one-of

pop-up stores that coincide with

concert dates have not. From Justin

Bieber and Beyoncé to Kendrick

Lamar and The Strokes, exclusive

apparel plastered with just-released

pop lyrics sold in short, local bursts is

a far cry from generic Mariah Carey

keychains. More fashionable apparel

is good for the bottom line, but also

a smart way for major artists to ofer

exclusively to their local fanbases.

If Terrible Merch, a start-up, gets its

way, minor artists will soon follow

suit. By helping small bands harness

the power of merchandise, Terrible

Merch doesn’t just help in sourcing

high-quality products, but also

deines what merch works where.

What Brighton band knows, for

example, that Germans love branded

tote bags? T-shirts bearing the names

Metallica or Ramones will always sell

well, but for new kids on the block

looking to live of their music, merch

ofers the surest path to success.

SALES PITCH

INCOMING JOHN WEICH

WRITER: LAURA HAWKINS

Newspaper

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