Amid retail-sector uncertainty, boutiques and catalogues are making a comeback
Headlines in the luxury-retail sector suggest fear and uncertainty. This is particularly true in the US, where famed department-store group Saks Global is struggling to execute its turnaround plans. Yet when you step off the world’s renowned shopping avenues, quite a different story presents itself. In London, a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street, a jewel box of a boutique, Koibird, has curious passersby dropping in to discover its edit of independent designers. In New York one of the best shopping addresses is now located on Brooklyn’s unassuming Atlantic Avenue, where in-the-know locals hunt for new-season items from luxury labels such as The Row and Dries Van Noten, as well as independents, including Beirut’s Super Yaya.
Running an independent boutique involves risky investments with little guarantee of turning a profit. This is why, over the past decade, we’ve seen the eclipse of the multi-brand boutique and the concept of curation itself – only to be replaced by shop-in-shops operated directly by big luxury groups. The return of the boutique highlights an urge for discovery and connection. It’s no longer about convenience above all else. In fact, retailers are discovering that a little inconvenience doesn’t hurt sales. It’s why opening shops in quaint neighbourhoods has become increasingly popular, as has the printed shopping catalogue.
This spring, both Koibird in London and Outline in New York announced plans to shutter their e-commerce sites completely, sending physical catalogues to customers instead. You might no longer be able to make a purchase with a few clicks but you can submit your address online and receive a beautiful, printed catalogue that features the shop’s seasonal buys. Flick through all the different looks and place an order by visiting the boutique or texting the sales team. In the case of Outline, whose catalogue was shot in a modernist Brooklyn home, there’s even a section for taking notes as you peruse. This tactile focus is tied to co-founders Margaret Austin and Hannah Rieke’s refreshed vision of what it means to run a successful retail business: serving the neighbourhood with “one excellent shop” rather than updating a website on a daily basis and aiming for bigger numbers. “We’re tired of doomscrolling,” said Rieke when I visited Outline. “There’s way too much product out there, it’s almost like going grocery shopping. But it seems that the pendulum is now swinging.”
The return of the catalogue could easily be dismissed as a one-off marketing experiment steeped in nostalgia, not unlike the brief revival of early-2000s fashion and gadgets such as CD players. But it might also signal the return of a more mindful way to shop – and a more human-centric approach to luxury.
Theodosi is Monocle’s fashion director. To read more about the designers bringing slow fashion to New York’s rapid retail scene, click here. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.
