Now I posted on Nov 12 last year about the A&F store in Ginza, Tokyo.
So now I hear they are coming to Singapore in the third quarter of this year and will take residence at Knightsbridge, all 4 storeys of it. While it did not ruffle as much feathers as when we first heard about H&M coming to our shores, it is still worth it to go check it out. Store concept and all. Here’s why.
Having been to the A&F store in Tokyo, it is definitely an alternative shopping experience for me. At the entrance, take an instant Polaroid with a topless A&F store employee. Don’t worry, it’s free of charge. Then get ushered up an elevator to the top floor with a guide explaining in both English and Japanese the store’s concept and to asks any questions you may have. Trek down from the 11th storey amidst loud disco music, dim lighting & scent of its signature strong cologne. (Perfume critic Chandler Burr says it best in his NY Times magazine piece titled, ‘Display It, Don’t Spray It’). The boisterous retail assistants (whom I believe were recruited from modeling agencies) zoom in on you on each level rendering their assistance when they are not busy dancing and singing along to the music, making the relatively cramped sales space feel even more claustrophobic for consumers.
When I came out of the building, my ears were ringing,, I smell like its signature American old cologne, my wallet was still full and everything was a blur.
Did I just come out from a store, a club, a modelling agency or a Chippendale concert? It’s anyone’s guess.
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