Pompei A.D. has designed an Urban Outfitters store in NYC with a facade that mimics four "old-school" NYC storefronts - a hat store, a hardware store, a neighborhood bar and a bodega.
Pompei A.D. has designed an Urban Outfitters store in NYC with a facade that mimics four "old-school" NYC storefronts - a hat store, a hardware store, a neighborhood bar and a bodega. WSJ | via Racked
"The whole idea was to do this kind of ironic statement of lining the building with storefronts that would be reminiscent of independent businesses," says Ron Pompei, creative director of Pompei A.D., which designed the store, slated to open in August. "It's the story about the streets of New York as they once were."
10 Comments
I'm sorry to be so negative, and I don't want to offend anyone, but I despise Urban Outfitters. They steal designs from artists and use them unattributed to make a profit for themselves. So no matter what kind of "urban-ey" design things they do, they are a tainted company for me.
And the specter of $110 tank tops don't help their image. IMO.
donna, offend away, the firm that "creates" the designs it would seem, does not fall far from the tree. having worked there, i can attest to them ripping work from doris salcedo, matta-clark and others, under the guise of "inspiration".
taint, that's a great way of describing them.
let's not kid ourselves in thinking that these two companies are harboring nothing but deceit and theft while the rest of the design industry is virtuously producing original and exciting work on a daily basis. And honesty, there are far more polarizing examples (Design Within Reach anyone?) to ruffle your feathers about than Urban Outfitters. Personally I always appreciated the relationship that UO has with architecture in that their stores are more about exposing the existing building and making each store unique rather than the usual stamped out commercial approach.
please, don't bore me.
Cherith I'm not kidding myself. I also don't shop at DWR.
Don't YOU kid yourself that the independent artists who produce things aren't actually harmed by a huge corporation stealing then selling their designs, no matter how cool the store looks.
Also, the CEO of UO is a staunch right winger who gave thousands of dollars to batshit-crazy Republican Rick Santorum.
But: you have your comfort level with where you spend your money, I have mine.
(I actually own two older Anthropologie items that I love - though I wear/use them with a twinge of regret now that I know how icky the company is.)
To borrow from one of my favorite films I Heart Huckabees:
" The woods are hopeless. Don't waste your time. They will be destroyed. So will the marsh. It is a losing game... mankind has played for more than a century. Sadness is what you are. Do not deny it. The universe is a lonely place, a painful place. This is what we can share between us, period."
Which is all to say that at the end of the day is there really any corporation we can fully justify spending our money that is full of honesty, integrity and values... without any caveats? I would dare to say no.
But hey, one less person to deplete the inventory (although given your profile name I doubt you are shopping in the Mens section.)
let's not kid ourselves, UO and pompei are so....fuck it. they both rape animals and sell skins to pedophilic priests that wear their clothing and then shit gold cuff-links.
For the most part, no. But that doesn't mean we can't all choose to draw certain lines. UO is one of mine.
b3tadine[sutures]... sounds like a party!
hmmm...b3tadine[sutures]...I wonder if we worked at pompei at the same time...
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