The future of menswear: Selfridges’ Designer Street Room

As the lines between luxury and streetwear continue to blur – and drop culture continues to establish itself as a winning retail strategy – new store designs that play host to this format and trend are set to speak loudest to consumers. Tying in with both the rise of experiential retail, and the consumer appetite for drop-focused product launches, Selfridge’s revamped menswear space opened to the press this morning.

Dubbed the Designer Street Room, the new space hosts designer heavyweights alongside emerging streetwear brands, reflecting a consumer that seeks to seamlessly move from Gucci into Saint London with ease.

Whilst the range of brands on offer are impressive – 70% of those showcased are independent brands –  it’s the specific design features that sets this new menswear space apart.

Conceptualised by The Mighty-Mighty, a fully enclosed skate bowl is the highlight – and it’s here, Selfridges say, that skateboarding is ‘used as a lens through which to view and celebrate the attitude of street culture and style’. The UK’s first, free permanent wooden skate bowl, there’s a chance for all levels to test it out – or provide shoppers with something to watch as they queue for drops.

Meanwhile, a bespoke Land Rover Classic with Selfridges branding sits as a permanent fixture within the Designer Street Room. Complete with a photobooth, it provides the room with a central, Insta-friendly hub, and its purpose is to provide a unique location for brand customisation and product drops.

The appetite for streetwear, and hype surrounding drops, is both fuelled and sustained via social media, and Selfridges aren’t missing a beat in launching a virtual space to compliment their in-store update. @THEYELLOWDROP is the digital offshoot for the Designer Street Room, acting as a place to generate interest and inform consumers of exclusive launches and collaborations.

And, with the likes of Burberry kickstarting a drop-focused “B-series” and Moncler’s ‘Genius’ range operating in a similar format, we can expect many more brands and retailers to follow suit.

Liked this? Read up on more store design inspiration in WGSN’s report, Designing for Gen Z: Store Strategies.

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