Shop Report

Today my group and I went to Selfridges and Co. Each and one of us had to select a brand and  conduct a research about it. Our sector is womenswear, so since I am a HUGE fan of Saint Laurent, I decided to investigate this brand further. 

When it comes to shopping, Selfridges is the place to be. By the time you get in, you start feeling that you enter a whole new different world. You are captivated by the smell of all the expensive perfumes and the colours of the cosmetics. When I went to the second floor, I started looking around the new collections that I’ve seen in the magazines and I was trying to find the Saint Laurent section. And then I saw it. Saint Laurent has a completely different concept than the other brands. The word that could describe the shop best is organised. There were free standing rails in four rows, with clothes hanging on the rails. Every row had its own thematic. I am not sure if it was on purpose, but the outwear were always put first on the rails. I think it is because they were the most expensive pieces of the collections with prices starting at £3.000. Under every row there was a pair of shoes that complement the outfits.The main colour of the shop is black and white, just like the main colour of the collection. You could see it everywhere, in the clothes, in the shoes, in the furnishing. The furnitures were expensive and so were the clothes- of course. When you have modern and minimal furnitures next to pieces of art like those by Saint Laurent, it gives the collection something extra, don’t you think?  Moreover, all Saint Laurent labels were displayed clearly everywhere. You could recognise the “Saint Laurent” logo on the hangers and inside the clothes, but they were displayed in a way that didn’t drew your attention from the clothes. It was just a short reminder that you are shopping at Saint Laurent -in case you forgot, although it is not possible. All the clothing were made in Paris, France and the fabrics were ‘from the Yves Saint Laurent fabric boutique’, as the staff said. The main fabrics were leather and cashmere. 

I pretended I was a costumer so I approached the clothes. By the time I showed interest in a specific piece, a polite employee came to me and asked me if I needed some help. She was well-presented, wearing a black suit and a pair of Saint Laurent loafers. I asked her some everyday questions that an average consumer would ask, so as to see if she was able to answer them and she was, like I thought -and hoped. You could see that the staff was quite protective of the products, but they remained friendly no matter what. After all, the policy “the costumer is always right” prevail.  

One thing I noticed is that nothing was random. It wasn’t random the fact that the cosmetic and perfume section where in the ground floor. They were deliberately located there, so as when you get in and out of Selfridges you will leave with the best impression, which you form because of the beautiful smell. It relaxes you, it makes you feel happy and makes the money that you spent seem worth it. Of course, neither the music is random. I noticed that the music changed while you changed floors. In the Haute Couture section the music was not loud and it complimented the layout and the thematic of the store. It didn’t distract you from looking around or purchasing anything. However, when you went to the Ready-to-Wear section the music changed totally. The music was now loud and fast. It created a feeling of frenzy, a feeling that you HAVE to buy clothes. I think it has to do with the age and the mentality of the consumer. As I changed the floor, the prices, the quality and the style of the products changed too. Usually consumers over 30 can afford to buy Haute Couture pieces and they cannot stand loud music. When you are younger, like the costumers of Topshop, you enjoy loud music and the whole atmosphere of shopping. 

All in all, I liked the experience of visiting Saint Laurent. It was really professional and for a moment I almost thought that I belonged in this world.