Camper and world architecture
13.11.2010 16748

Camper and world architecture

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For some reason, our corporate identity began to be perceived solely as compliance with external standards - so that all stores are the same. Non-compliance of showcases with corporate standards is punishable by a fine. Deviations in the assortment - deprivation of the discount. Lack of uniforms among sellers means loss of bonuses. It would seem that such strictness is absolutely justified. After all, anyone in any city of the network's presence should receive the same service and the same visual experience. This is the golden rule of branding. However, there are no rules without exceptions ... The first shoe company was violated by the Spanish company Camper. For each country, the company builds a separate merchandising concept. The possible advantages of this approach were studied by Evgenia Bubnova.

What is Camper

Officially, the Camper trademark ("Peasant") was registered in 1975. Unofficially, the company that started producing footwear under this brand is run by the third generation of footwear producers. In 1877, Antonio Fluxa went to England to study new methods of industrial shoe manufacturing. When he returned, he gathered a team of artisans in the town of Inca (Mallorca), installed the first machines and organized a revolutionary shoe production for that time.

How Camper got into retail

Camper opened its first store in Barcelona, ​​Spain in 1981. The motivation was simple - after several years of sales in multi-brands, the brand owners realized that these shoes needed a completely different habitat. On the one hand, more ironic (to match the brand's philosophy). On the other hand, it is more intimate (so that customers can chat with the couple they like one-on-one).

The opening of the store contributed to the development of the visual component of the brand: the creation of bags, cabinets, displays, posters, advertising booklets and catalogs.

The concept of a self-service store in itself, where the full size range for each model was displayed in the hall, was revolutionary for that time.

The opening of the first store led to the decision to change the logo. The original - on a black background - merged with the facade. This is how red letters appeared on a white background.

How Camper has become an international brand

In the early 1990's, Camper entered the international arena. The company felt strong enough in the domestic market, but abroad, distrust of the Spanish brands was strong. The Olympic Games of the 1992 of the Year, held in Barcelona, ​​helped to get rid of him. They fundamentally changed their attitude towards Spain.

After the Olympics, Camper started promoting in several cities at once, the most difficult from a marketing point of view - London, Paris and Milan. By the way, it was then that the brand owners appreciated how similar the chain stores around the world are. Camper decided to abandon the current in the mainstream and find his own. This is how the idea of ​​adapting stores to the culture of the cities where they opened appeared. Naturally, some of the most important brand elements remained unchanged. True, it is difficult to call them material. Camper is a Mediterranean spirit, optimism, light, transparency and lightness. And this is a completely different level of complexity for brand presentation. Figuratively speaking, if the traditional corporate identity can be represented as a flat plane, then Camper's approach can be compared to a multifaceted prism. And therefore, Camper stores around the world are neither expensive nor cheap, nor European, nor American, nor Asian. They are all just Camper.

In our opinion, this approach has three key advantages. First, there are significantly more opportunities for the development of merchandising ideas. Second, respect for cultural heritage creates a more loyal audience. Third, different store concepts encourage loyal traveler shoppers to shop comparatively: "How is this done by the neighbors?" Recall that the growing mobility of the population is called one of the main consumer trends. There are two key challenges to the Camper concept: how to maintain brand identity and how to coordinate all merchandising processes across stores.

“The head office fully controls the brand's marketing activities around the world. The creative concept is the same for all countries. Global marketing goals for all countries are also the same, but the company adjusts the communication channels in each of the countries of its presence in accordance with the stage of the brand life cycle and market specifics ", - says Alena Kolosova, Advertising Manager at Camper Russia

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How Camper Achieves the Diversity of Shopping

In 2006, the Camper Together project was launched. The bottom line is that the company attracts people eminent in their field for cooperation, and provides its stores as a platform for experiments. It is an alliance of the brand and experts from the field of art, design and architecture. The stores for Camper are designed by designers such as Fernando Amata, Marty Guikse and Shiro Miura. The cost of a project sometimes reaches 400 thousand euros (this is for 50-60 sq. M, competitors from the top of the mass segment rarely spend more than 100 thousand euros).

London

The first participant of the Together project was the Spanish designer and architect Jaime Ayon, who designed the Camper store in London's Faubert's Place. He used the brand's corporate colors - white and red - and let the store breathe: minimalism, bare white walls, a shiny red floor. Hayon's London Camper looks like an exhibition: thin-legged tables for the exhibition of shoe art, lamps hanging from the ceiling that would perfectly match both Venetian porcelain and Mallorca's earthenware.

Oscar Wilde through the mouth of Dorian Gray said: "I would not change anything in this city except the weather." And Aion, known for his extravagance and craving for the effects and theatricality of the "Mediterranean digital baroque" (as he himself defined his style), preferred to abandon everything that would be knocked out of the conservatism of the capital of foggy Albion.

Tokyo

Iona was also invited to create the interior at the Tokyo store Camper. The design is again exclusive and unique. On two floors of Aion's fantasy store, there was room to roam: he independently designed furniture, decorated vases - and more. “While working on the project, I was inspired by the images of the circus,” admits the designer. - There are many colors and notions. The result of my work is a space full of light and life that invites people to dream. When a visitor wants to open the door to the store, he inevitably touches the handle in the form of caramel candy and reveals the wonders that await him inside. There are no corners, just smooth lines. The contrast between the neatly painted walls and the untouched cement floor is striking. A long, narrow table in the middle of the hall and vertical glass panels divide the space, while painted mirrors visually enlarge the room and create a cozy atmosphere. The space is also divided by vertical glass panels. Colored glasses create a magical transparency of the air and fill this store with freshness. "

Paris

One of the Camper stores in Paris was designed by French designers Ronan and Ervan Burullek. Since 1999, Burullek's design creations have been released under such brands as Vitra, Cappellini, Issey Miyake, Magis, Ligne Roset, Habitat. They are not indifferent to Japanese culture and aesthetics, and therefore create interiors in the spirit of the modern Japanese metropolis. The entire Camper store is designed in red, the walls are covered with blankets of the same shade. Designers designed furniture that not only fits into the Camper concept with its lightness, but also is very practical: you can put models on it and sit, trying on shoes. By the way, shoes are presented both on standard tables and mounted on the wall, sometimes upside down.

Another Parisian store is the work of Alfredo Heberli, a Swiss designer with Argentine roots. He put on white clothes on the chandeliers - trousers, skirts and shirts, hung 80 of his own graphic works on the shoe theme on the walls.

Jean Cocteau was right when he said: «In Paris, everyone wants to be actors. The fate of the viewer does not suit anyone. " So it is here. Shoes are not a piece of furniture, they are the prima of French Camper!

Valencia

In 2008, Alfredo Heberly had a hand in the design of the Camper store in Valencia. By the way, in the interval between Paris and Valencia, he managed to arrange stores in Rome and Barcelona.

According to the designer, the interior work in Valencia was inspired by the Camper slogan “Don't Run, Walk!”. In the design were used ... tricycles! In addition, Heberli used his favorite white color - and the store immediately had a lot of space and air. The walls are empty, and the tables on which the shoes are displayed resemble the winding cycle paths from the playground.

White is the "signature" color of Valencia itself. The city is famous for its ability to color life with cheerful colors. Snow White is the walls of the houses and futuristic projects of Santiago Calatrava. Orange is a celebration of the fire of Fallas and orange trees. Ultramarine is the purest blue of the sky. The colors are pure and rich so that Valencia seems like a child - cheerful, kind and energetic. This is completely in line with Camper's optimism philosophy.

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Moscow

And in the capital's GUM it was not without Heberly! And again, his favorite white color: nothing more, only shoes and curved tables on which she is exposed.

According to Elena Kutepova, Russian merchandiser Camper, who has already designed two stores in Moscow and one in St. Petersburg, the Spaniards do not interfere with the creative process of domestic designers and merchandisers: “Our Spanish colleagues are very loyal. Of course, we take into account the capacity of the sales area, the presented assortment, if there are “hits”, we put them in the foreground. Hits in Spain do not always coincide with hits in Russia. Plus we follow special promotion programs.

Now we are undergoing a light weight program, that is, both in the work of sellers and in the design of stores, we focus on light models of the collection. And accordingly, we highlight our Pelotas x-light line. The program starts simultaneously in Russia and Spain. When a new collection comes to us, the display is divided into several parts, each of which corresponds to a particular program. These are lightweight models, showcases are completely dedicated to them, nothing else is on display, and the hall focuses on Pelotas. In a month another model will be promoted, and all attention will be focused on it. "

What architects make Camper shoes

For joint projects, Camper selects young little-known, but talented designers and architects whose work is close to the company in spirit.

In addition to the design of the stores, architects participating in the Together project design shoes for the brand. So, for the last autumn-winter season, Jaime Ayon released a line of boxers with rubber soles with high lacing and boots with contrasting stitching, and the Parisian of German origin Bernard Wilhelm - a collection of walking boots with ankle-length, mid-calf and knee-length made of aged leather with ribbed sole. Shoes from Heberli and artist Maria Blasse are in great demand.

“The project of the store in GUM was made by the architect Alfredo Heberli, and he also developed one shoe model, very unusual, it aroused great interest,” says Elena Kutepova. “They are highlighted with a poster depicting the architect and placed in a special, most prominent place.

In 2010, Dutch furniture designer makes shoes for Camper Hella Jongerius A few years ago, her studio's rubber vases became a sensation. Colleagues in the shop call Hella's things "delicate, delicate and witty." She has repeatedly received the title "Designer of the Year" both at home and in France.

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“When Camper invited me to participate in a design project for one of the stores or to design shoes for her, I didn’t hesitate for a long time,” Hella writes on her blog. - I am not a shoe designer, and many designers before me have already succeeded in this industry. However, with a passion for beautiful shoes, I was intrigued by the offer. And I decided to start from where my predecessors stayed. Drawing on their shoulder and experience, I had a great opportunity to work with the Camper style icons. In my opinion, Camper is a living testament to the vast opportunities that a family business opens up. It's great to work with Camper, they are very original in themselves and open to everything new, and when they invited me into their world, I received a unique master class in the field of shoe design! "

Since 1981, Camper has opened 100 stores around the world, each with a unique camper spirit. Therefore, in Tokyo, and in Berlin, and in New York, and in Moscow, you can breathe the air of the Mediterranean.

For your information:

Camper is a family business, which began in 1877 in Mallorca, Spain; the secrets of the craft have been passed down from father to son for 130 years.

The Camper brand is registered in the 1975 year.

Belongs to the Flux family.

Chain - over 150 stores in more than 70 countries.

Sales in 2008 - about 4 million pairs of shoes.

For some reason, our corporate identity began to be perceived solely as compliance with external standards - so that all stores were ...
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