The Dichotomy of Urban Outfitters. The mecca of urban hipster apparel known as Urban Outfitters is a culture club

Transcription

1 Price 1 The Dichotomy of Urban Outfitters The mecca of urban hipster apparel known as Urban Outfitters is a culture club for its consumers. By not only selling clothes but selling products such as electronics, apartment furniture and books, Urban Outfitters sells a lifestyle. Urban Outfitters navigates the dichotomy of being both a mass produced retail chain and an establishment that promotes individuality. Richard Hayne, Urban Outfitter s President and Founder, does not represent the liberal-minded youth to which his store caters (Valania 2003). Hayne is a fiftysomething conservative who has contributed money to Republican campaigns (Valania 2003). However, in his youth, Hayne was a rebellious liberal activist, who with his thenwife Judy founded Urban Outfitters Inc. In the fall of 1970, Richard and Judy opened a store close to a Philadelphia university called the Free People s Store (Valania 2003). The Free People s Store offered students affordable yet fashionable bohemian-esque clothing; cheap men s undershirts were bought in surplus and dyed in various colours (Valania 2003). The liberal outlook of the Free People s store matched Richard and Judy s anti-corporate attitude that saw big businesses as the cause of the Vietnam War (Valania 2003). Judy and Richard eventually split up and went down different paths: Judy stayed true to the liberal idealism of her youth while Richard morphed into a conservative capitalist entrepreneur (Valania, 2003). Richard changed the store name from The Free People s Store to Urban Outfitters in 1975 (Valania, 2003). He changed the name of the store because he felt The Free People s Store reflected a time and lifestyle that was

2 Price 2 no longer existent, the term Free People had strong political connotations and once the war ended, both American society and Hayne were ready to move on (Valania 2003). The newly dubbed Urban Outfitters re-located to a larger location, and as sales became more successful new store locations were established in New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C (Valania 2003). In 1984, Hayne created his wholesale line Free People, and in 1992 he launched Anthropologie a brand which would appeal to the 30 to 45-year-old set who had aged out of Urban Outfitter s 18 to 30-year-old demographic (Valania 2003). Urban Outfitters locations are situated in metropolitan areas in order to reach its target market; the typical Urban Outfitters consumer is an urban hipster postgraduate who travels back in time when navigating the Urban aisles (Valania 2003). The consumers of Urban Outfitters are nostalgic for times that they have not even experienced and through their consumption are participating in a cool way to be young (Barber 21). In contrast, older Urban Outfitters consumers who are in their late twenties have lived through those trends and recapture their youth by participating in them again (Barber 21). The clothes in Urban Outfitters are part of the retro market, many articles of clothing are reminiscent of other eras. This season s maxi dress is reminiscent of the 1970s, which demonstrates the cycle of cool in action: everything that was once uncool becomes cool again, although usually updated, and its coolness is shared with a new generation. Hayne s early Urban Outfitters, which featured dyed undershirts and donated items, has come a long way from its anti-business point-of-view (Valania 2003). There is of course no longer a free bin (Valania 2003) as there was when the store first opened, because profit cannot be made from giving away free products.

3 Price 3 Like any other chain store, the products sold in Urban Outfitters are massproduced yet try to appear like the one-of-a-kind items that are found in thrift stores. The store website does feature one-of-a-kind items that pay homage to Urban Outfitter s humble beginnings. A featured brand called Urban Renewal has pieces that are handcrafted in Philadelphia from surplus vintage material. Urban Renewal represents a little piece of the former Free People s store, but despite the use of the term handcrafted it is made in bulk and shipped out to various Urban Outfitters locations around the world. The small shop in Philadelphia where Urban Outfitters started was the beginning of what is now a global empire of mass consumption. To personalize the Urban Renewal pieces a photograph is included that shows the history of the clothing item. The history of recycled Levis jean shorts on the website tells the following story: they are not your typical Levis jean shorts, they were loved by someone long ago as full-length jeans. Then, the people from Urban Outfitters handpicked and dyed them a darker shade of blue. However, it is unlikely that all jean shorts are recycled, since surplus vintage Levis jeans are difficult to acquire. Levis is a recognizable brand that although recycled, was mass-produced and sold in a consumer market. In modifying something mass-produced, Urban Outfitters makes consumers feel that their piece of clothing is as unique as they are. Modifying something that is mass-produced is very antiestablishmentarian, which presents a dichotomy since Urban Outfitters is a capitalistic multinational chain store. The Urban Outfitters flagship store in Philadelphia makes a statement with its stylized exposed brick, scraped plaster walls and low-hanging ventilation ducts

4 Price 4 (Valania 2003). Walking into the flagship store in Philadelphia transports the consumer to a trendy warehouse turned loft and includes merchandise that is nonchalantly displayed against pegboard backdrops (Valania 2003). It is as if the flagship store was left in its discovered state, which suggests a laid-back Bohemian attitude in which experience is more important than capitalistic pursuits. The Urban Outfitters website places a great emphasis on the shared cultural experience of the store. Their mission statement is to help their customer express their individuality and connect with their interests, needs, passion and each other. Being part of the Urban Outfitters culture is not a want, it is a need ; the consumer does not want a certain pair of pants, he or she needs them. The diction in Urban Outfitters mission statement expresses their dichotomy of being a large business that also encourages individuality. The consumer needs to consume in order to connect with their interests, their passions, and other consumers. Urban Outfitters is acknowledging that each of their consumers are individuals who have interests and passions, yet are homogenizing the market in unifying the passions, needs, and interests of their consumers. Urban Outfitters creates a specific prototypical consumer who is passionate about many things and who wears Urban Outfitters clothing to express their individuality. By playing music in its stores by independent artists such as Arcade Fire, Urban Outfitters is displaying its nonconformist attitude, since the sell-out corporate stores across the street are playing whatever is on the top 40. The Urban Outfitters in Toronto, located on Yonge Street across from the Eaton Center, displays individuality by distancing itself from the mall. The mall is full of mass-produced chain stores where top 40 music is played and the individuality of the consumer is not acknowledged. Each store

5 Price 5 in the mall has the same layout as their various multinational locations; however, Urban Outfitters is not as carefully designed, and its flagship store with exposed brick demonstrates that they do not conform to the standards of store design. Urban Outfitters did not have time to paint over the brick in their store as they were too busy with their interests and passions. By walking across the street to Urban Outfitters, there is an illusion that the consumer is choosing individuality over conformity. However, in choosing not to conform, the consumers of Urban Outfitters are nonconforming together and are assimilated into the culture of the store. The Urban Outfitters website features many exemplars of their store culture. On the website, the consumer can enter the store community. On the community page there is a link to five free downloadable tracks, which are available every Monday. Now the music that is played in the store can be played in the consumer s very own home! Even when not physically in the consumer space, the client is still able to participate in the store culture. A unifying quotation by Julian Casablancas of the Strokes is presented under the five free songs, which expresses the indescribable feeling that hits you so strong when you hear your favourite song whether you re in a car, at a party, or alone at home or in bed. Now whenever one of the free Urban Outfitters songs is played the listener can be reminded of the special consumer club to which they belong. Through music s unifying force, they are reminded that there are dozens of other hipsters out there listening to the same song and who are feeling the same indescribable emotions. Music is a very powerful way to trigger memories and associations, so when an individual hears a certain indie song that they heard in Urban Outfitters, they will be reminded of the consumer space.

6 Price 6 Both the community section on the site and the store locations, rely on the rule of store-depth (Gladwell 16). A store wants to draw its shoppers into its depths, since the chances a shopper will buy something is dependent on the amount of time spent there. The Yonge Street location of Urban Outfitters is a cavernous two-storey building where furniture, electronics, books, furniture and trinkets are sold alongside clothing. The consumer is drawn into the store by the fashionably dressed mannequins and their outfits are completed by the shoes found by the change rooms. As the consumer is waiting in line to pay for his or her purchases, there is a table with books and trinkets which encourage interaction. Since the store has two levels, the second level will want to be explored as well, forcing the consumer to walk through the first level again in order to leave the store, which encourages impulse buys. The community section of the site, with its many features such as downloadable music, allows the customer to explore and stay on the site for a long time. The longer the customer stays on the website, the more likely he or she is to purchase something. The second level of the Yonge Street Urban Outfitters is the furniture and men s section, which is an unusual combination. By aligning men s clothing with female nesting habits, the man is feminized. Urban Outfitters defies Gladwell s concept that men get spooked navigating women s apparel (Gladwell 22). Although men will not run into women s undergarments on the second floor, they have to walk through the women s section, which requires more effort. However, the Urban Outfitters man is a renaissance 21 st century man who cares about how he looks. He does not mind navigating the lower level to reach the men s section. Also, although he is feminized by the furniture, he has his own oasis away from the chaos of women s clothing. He can also consume more

7 Price 7 inconspicuously since there is a checkout on the top level. Once he is done consuming, he can just slip out of the store. However, consumption is always conspicuous and the new type of Urban Outfitters man is comfortable with himself and his role in the market so he does not worry about his consumption habits. By appealing to the male demographic, Urban Outfitters is demonstrating its capitalistic nature. Beginning in the 21 st century, the figure of the trendy male consumer has become more socially acceptable, and in taking part in this consumer trend, Urban Outfitters demonstrates that it is influenced by the pursuit of profit. The blog on the community section of the site includes blog posts from metropolitan Urban Outfitters locations; all Urban Outfitters consumers, no matter where they are, are united by their common interests. The Urban Outfitters blog creates an imagined community; although the consumer is not able to comment on posts, they are part of a special club and their membership to this club allows the Earth to shrink. On the left hand side of the screen, the shopper is able to explore the blogs from cities where various Urban Outfitters are located. To appeal to its 18 to 30-year-old demographic, Urban Outfitters locations are situated in metropolitan areas close to universities. Even the name Urban Outfitters conjures up the image of an independent youth who consumes voraciously to keep up with his or her fast-paced city lifestyle. The furniture section of the Urban Outfitters site is entitled apartment because that is the space where their prototypical consumer resides. The items sold in the apartment section are vintage-inspired items which are ideal for small spaces. The items on the website would look out of place in a typical suburban setting, discouraging their placement in an out-of-city context. So, those who purchase Urban Outfitters furniture

8 Price 8 are purchasing a lifestyle that subverts the suburban values system. Suburbia places emphasis on space, a collectivistic family, routine, and comfort over style. In contrast, an Urban Outfitters metropolitan lifestyle is one of cramped quarters, individuality, independence from the family unit, spontaneity and personal style. Purchasing Urban Outfitters furniture means that the consumer is adhering to the metropolitan lifestyle. Although being urban rather than suburban seems to be a more nonconformist approach, nonconformists are all allied in their rebellion. Since the market seeks homogeneity, Urban Outfitters is tapping into its freethinking demographic. These freethinking individuals believe that they are all unique, yet their values and interests are molded by what Urban Outfitters deems as cool and uncool. On their blog page there are cool topics such as psychology, music, photography and travel that can be clicked on to reveal blog posts. Sharing blog posts with the consumer about things they find cool creates a bond between Urban Outfitters and the shopper. The shopper feels like they have discovered something that only Urban Outfitters could show them. The photographs of models featured on the site are not as stylized as those in fashion magazines. The models on the Urban Outfitters site have uncombed hair, and little or no makeup. Through its ads, Urban Outfitters aims for a realistic approach. However, in using models instead of average people, Urban Outfitters is still part of the system that it demonstrably rejects. On its community page it features the wardrobes of current it girls. These girls, according to Urban Outfitters, are special people who should be emulated. They represent the free-spirited Urban Outfitters lifestyle and many of them confess to shopping in vintage stores and collecting items when travelling. The women featured on the Urban Outfitters page are strategically chosen to be poster girls

9 Price 9 for the store. In doing so, the independent fashionistas are an advertising tool to make profit. Urban Outfitters encourages vintage shopping yet its items are only vintage inspired. Although they do sell one-of-a-kind items, their articles of clothing are massproduced for a market that sees itself as distinctly individual. The world of fashion is all about standing out and blending in at the same time. Although Urban Outfitters addresses its customers need for individuality, it also addresses their desire for unification. Urban Outfitters sees its consumers as a homogenized market because in creating their brand they have shaped a certain lifestyle. The Urban Outfitters website defines what is cool and the consumer follows along. The Urban Outfitters of today strongly contrasts with its modest beginning as a 70s anti-business organization. The company has attempted to hold onto its youthful individualistic state of mind yet it is a still a capitalist organization. Urban Outfitter s primary concern as a company is to make a profit and it does so by manipulating its market and creating a lifestyle to which the consumer can subscribe. The masses that shop at Urban Outfitters are not as individualistic as they would like to think.

10 Price 10 Works Cited Barber, Benjamin. Capitalism Triumphant and the Infantilist Ethos. Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole. Norton: NY, Gladwell, Malcom. The Science of Shopping. The New Yorker. 4 Nov (Vo 72, Iss 33) Valania, Jonathan. Clothes Make the Man. Philadelphia Weekly. 11 June March <