The Role of the Retail Environment with Regard to Nostalgia in the Realm of Aesthetically Considered Matter

The incentive behind buying something is always wide and varied. However, it seems that in many cases, that incentive is able to be bifurcated into two sectors; one that embraces nostalgia, and one that rejects it.  One may buy a garment, simply because it reminds them of the clothing they wore as a child. In this case the incentive would be tied to feelings of nostalgia, and a pull of familiarity. Clothing has the power to constantly reinvent someone. Therefore, one may buy a garment simply because it is unlike anything in their memory, something that has the power to both transform and transport them to another place, say, into the future. Clothing can mentally move someone forward into the future, or backwards into the past. Either way, both of the incentives, the embracing of nostalgia, or the rejection of nostalgia, possesses an underlying current of longing. In Svetlana Boym’s The Future of Nostalgia, she says nostalgia is,  “. . . (from nostos —-return home, and algia —-longing) is a longing for a home that no longer exists or has never existed.” The fact alone, that humans can long for a home that never existed, is quite telling of the human mind. We are constantly wanting and longing to be a part of something. Clothing is a manifestation of one’s longing either for the past, the future, or the current. Then, in that place of either past, future or present, one can continue to develop their identity.

What I find most compelling is the role of the retail environment with regard to nostalgia in the realm of aesthetically considered matter. This space could be anywhere, and any space has the potential to become this space. This retail space has the power to induce or amplify this sense of longing for the past, future or present. It is within this space that clothing brands offer the consumer to enter into a wholly curated space. This space is to serve as an extension of their brand image, their brand story. This space’s windows and interiors may even have displays and objects that are carefully changed out each season. The music in this space contributes to the overall mood, and even the location of this space lends itself to the identity of the brand.  The workers, or in some cases, brand ambassadors, as they are aptly called, are themselves people that believe they identity with that certain brand. The consumer can in turn, identify or not identify with these people.

The consumer can directly try on all the clothing, shoes or accessories, and view themselves within another space within the space, the fitting room. In this fitting room, for a few moments at a time, with special lighting and possibly slightly warped mirrors, one can try on clothes and preview themselves as a creature of the past, future, or present. This is a fascinating space, because things worn in this space may not look the same when worn outside of this space. This space is where the consumer creates and nurtures the longing within themselves, to transform themselves. The clothes may be sprayed with the perfume of the brand, bringing into play an olfactory factor that is not present anywhere else. Scent is one of the strongest inducers of nostalgia and desire out there, thus making it the perfect accompaniment to clothing. However it is also one of the most ephemeral. Scents smell different with different peoples’ chemistries.

If the consumer is shopping from the comforts of their own home, on the internet, this familiar space would be temporarily transformed into a retail space. Whether this consumer is shopping while prostrate on their bed, or on their desk, or while eating, would all influence the consumer in diferent ways. This space is very different from the space within a store. There are no rules, guidelines, or restrictions. The store never closes; it is forever open for business. One can be eating whatever they wish, one can be listening to whatever they wish, and one can be wearing whatever they wish. There is no outside pressure that exists to buy something. There are no uncomfortable feelings, assuming one is at ease in their home. The only smells they can smell would be that of their home. However, one would not be able to try on any of the wares. In this case, the space of the fitting room is transported to the depths of their mind, an arguably more magical if not dangerous place, compared to the physical fitting room. There is friend to directly consult with about purchases, but rather, the internet leaves a whole database of references at one’s fingertips. Within seconds, someone can look up an outfit they want to emulate, whether it be from this era or a decade past.

The fashion cycle is one where we see clothing seasons ahead. This is an interesting aspect, as it creates both a sense of longing for the future and for the past, within the followers of fashion. By seeing the wooly, warm, untimely fall clothing in spring, fashion creates a sense of longing for the future. Editors on social media make comments saying they cannot wait until fall to wear such and such coat. All of this collectively creates not only longing, but possibly longing and pre-ordering for a certain item, pre-predicting the new “it” items. The ensuing slew of attempted replications and knock offs by the giant machine that is fast fashion is then amplified by a bevy of editorials with the new items. By the time fall does roll around, this so called “it” item is old news. In its current season, it may already feel like it has already been over exposed. There is even a chance that this item may already be sold out however. Whatever the case, when this item is purchased or seen, it already has a small stigma of the past, in fashion time a season is forever. It is already carrying a whole season’s worth of nostalgia. Fashion is now preoccupied with the floaty, light clothes that is new for spring.

Fashion is a cycle, in more ways than one, it always has been and always will be. This leads to a cannibalization of nostalgia. After a certain period of time has passed from a certain decade, that decade will generally have a few key words or images, that lend itself to a somewhat unified memory of what it was all about. Glimpses into that period can only be done so through films, images and of course clothes. The past is always somehow updated so that it can gain a value of newness. A designer may do a reinterpretation of a their fashion house’s classic, and make it modern. They may even choose to simply reissue a classic, exactly as is. By doing so they bring the past, into present, making it current. In this sense, it is extremely hard to do something that references nothing but itself. In fact, fashion seems to be rooted in history, rife with references, renewals, reissues, revamping and things of a transformative yet reinforcing nature.

In the same vein of reinventing, I believe the space of the retail interaction is no exception. It needs to be updated from time to time, so it can gain a value of newness as well. There have been many different types of updates, such as the pop up shop, the shop within an art gallery space, the online sample sale and more. However, these are all temporary happenings. They are not something that is long standing, and cannot take the place of a permanent, physical retail space. They are more a novelty, or luxury, rather than an alternative to the physical retail shop. It cannot compete on the same level as one either. Then there are the peddlers of nostalgia, the thrift shops, vintage shops and the flea markets. One alternative to the current retail shop I find particularly magical is the Bless Shop Home Berlin. Bless Shop Home is a retail space created by the company Bless (www.bless-shop.de). Bless had started off with offering pop up shop, exhibition type retail spaces, and it naturally progressed into what is now known as Bless Shop Home Berlin.

BSHB is a space that combines both the retail space with the home space, and then some. It is a space where the lines between art and commerce are blurred and questioned. It is where Mira Schröder lives, the place she calls home. Schröder studied exhibition design and curation, which brings another layer to the whole situation. She curates and exhibits the space with both Bless products and her own alike. She lives with the products, which are then open to be purchased by consumers. The store is open one day a week, as well as by appointment. BSHB is a space that changes are grows with its inhabitants. It changes the formerly private space of the home into a public space, and flip flops the formerly public space of the physical retail shop into a that of a private space. In comparison to a walking into a retail store, one is met with items that are not mere representations of stories, but truly are. There has not been some elaborate inspiration or story of a muse woven into a piece of clothing or object that the consumer becomes an extension of. Instead, the object is actually truly living a life before being purchased by the consumer.

Vintage stores can have items that seem questionably vintage, or can stock lots of clothing that did not sell, or overstock, from brands that are not vintage. However in the BSHB, you are seeing right in front of your eyes, the matter in action, in it’s natural habitat. Typical rules and guidelines would not apply in this space of the BSHB, therefore creating, depending on the person, either a heightened sense of caution or comfort. It brings a new meaning to second hand, because if I am not mistaken, these objects are sold at the same price as the ones that are sold in the store. Usually when one buys second hand, the transaction is not transparent. One can only imagine who the former owner was, and what untold stories this matter may hold. Though the objects from BSHB have their untold stories, their origin is not. It is always a very intimate experience walking into a stranger’s house for the first time. You do not know what it holds, there is a sense of discovery as you walk about, a sense of wonder, if you will.

When you purchase something from BSHB, you would be doing so with the knowledge that you may be taking something from Schröder that is precious, or has sentimental value. Some of the objects inside the BSHB are limited editions, or made specifically for the BSHB, making them irreplaceable. However, for objects that are not, and are current season, I am guessing they are most likely replenished. This puts a fascinating spin on commodity, as it is commodifying the idea of the intimate, lived in object. In this space of the BSHB, there is no sense of longing created by previewing a season that is not yet out. Due to the limited quality of some of the objects in the space, I would imagine that the sense of discovery is greater within this space. It functions as a space where the things you will find are never set in stone. It is something that breaks the cycle of fashion. By purchasing something from BSHB, one is creating many layers of nostalgia, from both the perspective of the consumer and from the perspective of Schröder.

Nostalgia functions in different ways in the space of the retail environment. Though fashion claims it is always about the new and the next, the truth is, it simply would not function without nostalgia. The space of the retail environment is the only space where the consumer has the chance to make their longings of transforming themselves into creatures of the past, future or present, a reality. I think this space of transaction is one that is very important, and one that is ripe for reinterpretation.