It feels like a New York loft. There is this large central island illuminated by a glass roof, where t-shirts with pop culture prints are hung.
Green plants on one side, notebooks on the other. Upstairs, a home area, vinyls, a photo booth. And everywhere, clothes. Expertly arranged in this immense, airy, and somehow warm space.
Like these sellers with a so Williamsburg look, who explain to me what this material on the ceiling is that we didn't take the trouble to cover to preserve the " unfinished " appearance of the thing, while the sound system broadcasts a jazzy and suave cover of Men In Black .
Welcome to 146 Rue Rivoli in Paris, welcome to Urban Outfitters .
The opening of this first UO store in France, on February 21, generated great enthusiasm. From the media, as well as from those they call fashionistas, eager to discover a brand that thrives across the Atlantic, dangling a new vision of the American way of life .
Urban Outfitters, the leading subsidiary of the URBN franchise, generated $1.4 billion in 2017 thanks to its 250 stores around the world . The fifty stores already established in Europe aroused French expectations, and after testing the market with corners at Galeries Lafayette and BHV, the brand ended up getting its hands on the immense premises – 900 m² – which she was looking for. Success seems to be there: 146 is always full, full of young college students and thirty-somethings.
UO: a boutique experience that sells lifestyle
It wasn't the first time I'd entered a den of the American chain. Having stayed in the US, I was familiar with it.
Enough to see that the “cool bohemian” atmosphere is still the same, although the decor is unlike any other of its cousins.
At UO, there is sometimes old parquet flooring, sometimes exposed brick, or an old steel staircase.
In Utrecht in the Netherlands, they even do combos.
The place is what makes the strength and the whole concept of Urban . Like a paradox in the Internet age.
Founder Richard Hayne summed up in the Washington Post :
Brands go to a shopping center and put their image in a space, whereas we use an existing space to improve our image. No two stores are like any other. We go into these old buildings and adapt them for ourselves.
UO has benefited from the return of vinyl: it is today one of the main sellers.
Urban Outfitters is therefore a summary of two things: on the one hand this cool store, endlessly reinterpreted by the decor, which promises a unique shopping experience ; on the other, the variety of what is sold there, from multi-brand clothing to vinyl and decoration – what the company groups under the name lifestyle .
The goal is for the customer to spend time in the store, and end up leaving with something. In the States, we usually say that UO was the first to develop (monetize?) this concept, which has since been widely imitated. We must recognize a spirit that has endured since its beginnings in 1970.
The vintage store that has adapted to young people
It was precisely in 1970 that Richard Hayne and Scott Belair, then students, opened their first store in Philadelphia... to satisfy the needs of an entrepreneurial project of the second.
With $5,000 in their pocket, they opened a store that offers second-hand clothes, jewelry and inexpensive accessories to their campus friends. It was a success: after Belair got an A on his exam and went to Wall Street, Hayne continued the adventure solo and opened a second store in 1980.
Starting out as a second-hand shop for broke students, Richard Hayne created an empire.
He developed his own line four years later, and launched two other branches aimed at a female audience in the early 1990s – Anthropologie and Free People – which allowed him to multiply profits and accelerate the development of UO .
Until its explosion in the 2000s, thanks to the appearance of the hipster phenomenon . Urban, who has always navigated between vintage and the offbeat bohemian nature of his creations, meets the expectations of this clientele who will make his best recipes. Building on the response to his stores, he opened 150 between 2005 and 2013.
The end of this hipster trend, in addition to the numerous controversies linked to provocative prints , will put the company in difficulty. The drop in turnover after 2010 is interpreted as a rejuvenation of its target, so to find 18-28 year olds, it decides to increase its prices, reduce its vintage range, and introduce more fashionable brands, such as Adidas , Fila or Calvin Klein, which are arriving massively on its shelves in 2015. A much-needed makeover.
UO clothing, retro sportswear
A selection based on Kappa and Champion
Urban has since regained color. He is now riding the 90s and sportswear wave, which you have surely noticed has come back to the forefront in recent years. It's hard to miss it, since one of its special signs appears BIG on oversized sweatshirts.
It's okay, we saw you, Tommy.
Always lauded for the eclecticism of its clothing selections, UO has seemingly narrowed its scope. Apart from a streetwear touch intended for the skater – with Stüssy, Dickies or Obey –, and a few classic models like the denim jacket , he now swears only by this retro sportswear , ultra-represented by all the resurgent brands that it distributes – and to which we can add Hilfiger, Kappa and Champion –, but also through its own creations.
Iets Frans is the best example. This real-fake UO range (like the BDG branded jeans, which are indeed its own) presents sweatshirts, tracksuit sets and snap-button jogging pants with designs largely inspired by those of its illustrious elders.
A unisex tracksuit top from Iets Frans. Any resemblance to a Kappa would be... oh no it's okay, everything is fine.
To summarize, we will say that Urban imitates successful models to offer visually similar products at lower prices. Skillful. But way too expensive for the quality displayed.
The Urban Outfitters brand: too expensive for what it is
Here we are. I have tested, or seen: the t-shirt that fades and shrinks, the jeans that age quickly and poorly, the acrylic knit that becomes misshapen... basically, clothes that are often low-end, very synthetic. More expensive Zara. Selected pieces.
Let's take this ''oversized'' hoodie that I was able to touch in the store: although without an interior label (!), it smells of synthetic material and its fabric has a limited lifespan. For 55 euros, it's better to size up at Uniqlo for 100% cotton and make a little restaurant with what's left.
For 10 euros more, we have a similar model, just as fine and synthetic (30% polyester, it is noted), although called ''premium'', undoubtedly for the embroidery. This time, we can calmly head towards the Chase model from Carhartt for even more reliability, and there will still be enough to make a Greek.
A beautiful all-synthetic jacket (which is even more striking in person with this imitation sheepskin collar), for the modest sum of 100 euros.
The comparison with a fast fashion ambassador is not exaggerated: UO uses the codes, from continuous drops to permanent promotions, with a section dedicated to sales in each of its stores. The one in Paris promises 75% off a selection of products... and curiously, it's UO that we mainly find.
All of this isn't to say that there won't be anything interesting at Urban. In addition to the sportswear that it represents by more qualitative brands like Champion – but which unless you are a fan of it will leave you unmoved – you can fall for a pop culture t-shirt or a vintage piece from its Urban Renewal range – that happened to me.
Even if in the latter case it remains rare, buried in a mass that is often disappointing because once again too expensive for what it is.
40 euros for a second-hand shirt, at that price, we will surely get better, and more, directly from the thrift store.
In conclusion: a positive touch waiting
Perhaps the best part of UO is the small designer/emerging brands that it can also distribute. This is one of his valuable credos: wherever he sets up, he seeks to sell premises .
I had the opportunity to discover some interesting things across the Atlantic, like the early Publish or Alstyle, which sells thick and durable t-shirts at low prices. But UO has obviously not completed its French establishment. Whether on the Parisian store or the website, there is no trace of this type of discovered label.
While waiting to see what it can offer on this subject, Urban, more interesting for the trend-tracking shopper than the product-conscious fashion enthusiast, should remain the subject of a good stroll. Because the store is still cool.
Damn, I bought a cactus.
