The fashion industry, in particular the online fashion industry sales have been growing exponentially with the ever increasing dependance on the internet and social media. However this behaviour has serious detrimental consequences on the high street, contributing to the 14.3% national average of empty shops.
The fashion industry, in particular the online fashion industry, sales have been growing exponentially with the ever increasing dependance on the internet and social media.
This behavior has consequences on the nature of retail and has serious detrimental concequences on the high street, contributing to the 14.3% national average of empty shops.
Solution//
‘Technology is driving consumer behavior to a world of engagement, entertainment and the ability to shop where, how and when we like,’ ‘Town centers need to adapt to this changing environment if they are to survive and thrive.’ I have taken the UK’s online fashion retail giant ASOS ‘as seen on screen’, the third most visited fashion website on the planet as business model for this project. In initial research the lack of physical presence ASOS has on the high street became apparent. Initial proposals began by developing a new App to begin to address these problems- a way to locate these vacant stores so that these derelict spaces can be used for ‘pop-up’ temporary shops.
courtesy of Megan Sadler
The physical proposal aims to create a physical manifestation of ASOS, which addresses this problem of detracting from the high street, proposing a unique retail experience, which engages with the public by stepping out of cyber space and giving back to the high street. The fashion hub aims to create an exciting public experince, fusing both current physical and digital fashion becoming an interactive gallery and unique retail experinece.
Programme// Unique experience
The proposal manifests the virtual by displaying phyical current collections from ASOS and provides the opportunity for body scanning. The body scan is then saved on a USB and can be plugged in to the screens around the building-next to current collections so that the current collection can be tried on without taking your clothes off.
courtesy of Megan Sadler
Credits:
Students: Megan Sadler
Diploma Studio 10 at Westminster University School of Architecture and the Built Environment
Tutors: Arthur Mamou-Mani & Toby Burgess
