What do you call a store that isn’t quite bespoke, but also isn’t fast fashion?
The word value comes to mind.
And that’s what you’ll find at Consortium, the all-custom marketplace on a 12-city nationwide tour, just now open in Soho at 60 Grand Street (you can make an appointment here).
Need a made-to-order Stantt shirt or Saintly bag? Want to customize an Olfactory NYC scent for yourself or the missus? Could your shoe rack use an update compliments of Awl & Sundry? Consortium is your huckleberry, offering equal parts efficiency and accessibility from a roster of men’s brands we love.
Why every other retailer hasn’t jumped on the same wagon, we haven’t the foggiest.
Consortium will remain open for two months (it opened in early July) and in total offers 10 current brand partners. Each floor of the establishment is equipped with an iPad guests can use to place orders on the Consortium website, making for an experience that is altogether more personal than Barneys and more advanced than standard direct-to-consumer models. The customer gets the ability to test out goods firsthand, while the brands reap the benefits that come with not having to hold stock in store.
“With the problems that retail has had in the last two, three, four years, customization solves a lot of that,” said Founder Sam Payrovi. “Not only does it present a much better, more efficient retail model for these retailers, but also it drives customers in store, because customization is better in store than it is on ecommerce.”
Payrovi is using the pop-up tour to test the possibility of more permanent Consortium locations. These locations would feature some 50-60 custom brands and allow for new partnerships with streetwear brands, fitness apparel and perhaps a move into home goods.
Unless you’re a fan of the traditional retailer’s 70% mark-up, we advise hopping on over to check it out in the flesh.
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