Wakubo Rei: Guerrilla Flash Shop "Careless" Business Opportunities

Wakubo Rei was born in Tokyo in 1942 and graduated from Qing Ying Yi Shu University.

COMME des GARCONS was founded in 1973.

The brand has demonstrated a revolutionary new way of dressing. Since 2004, more than 20 brand guerrilla flash shops have been created around the world, creating a sales myth.

If you see such a shop on the street corner, you can see that the Logo is printed on the facade and found that the decoration of the shop is not gorgeous. A row of high-grade garments and expensive bags are arranged in a compact or even crowded way, which is a bit like a big stall.

You mustn't think this is a water store.

Take a closer look. There are 30% to 50% discount for the over season products, but they are all genuine luxury brands.

When you turn to the store a month later, you may scream again - the shop is empty, and the hesitant bag can no longer come back.

Such a limited use of time at a given location brings a difference to the public.

The guerrilla flash shop has quietly appeared in every corner.

The flash of lightning has swept the world, and has become a popular marketing tool from UNIQLO to Hermes, thanks to Wakubo Rei, the Japanese fashion godmother.

In 2004, she opened the first flash store in Germany to COMME des GARCONS, which was founded by herself, and shut down after a year.

Subsequently, this became Wakubo Rei's brand development strategy, and gradually opened more than 20 stores in Barcelona, Helsinki, Athens, Stockholm, Singapore and New York.

Now, the fashionable brands of guerrilla flashing tactics are Nike, Chanel and Louis Weedon, so as to stimulate consumption and publicity.

"I make clothes. I am also a businessman."

Of course, more people know that Wakubo Rei is because of her.

Identity.

In twentieth Century, two national treasure designers were born in Japan, one was Yamamoto Teruji, the other was the "aunt of Sichuan" who was always black and had an asymmetrical shoulder length short hair.

COMME des GARCONS was founded in 1973. In 80s of last century, she went to Paris show with unknown works. The fashion giants were shocked.

Model hair like grass, dressed in black holes, filled with beggar wind.

The French designer, Buddha, praised the fact that she changed the definition of fashion beauty.

In addition to the design works, Wakubo Rei himself remained in combat.

The fashion industry in the United States has given her the title of "popular pioneer", praising her to create new ideas in fashion design and to have a unique eye in running brands.

She once said, "I make clothes. I am also a businessman."

In 2004, Wakubo Rei's first flash shop opened in the old town of Berlin.

Her husband, together with her, went to Germany to study.

They are deeply attracted by the sense of reality in the old city, especially a Vietnamese noodle shop called MonsieurVuong, where young people and elderly people gather,

And the Elternhaus club is a gathering place for artists.

"There is no luxurious decoration, but satisfaction is very pleasant."

In October of that year, Wakubo Rei and he decided to open a shop with the same sentiment and sell their own brand clothes.

They chose a second-hand bookstore to rent 65 square meters of small facade for $700.

But the plan is only 1 years old and sold in a less expensive way.

Not only the rent is low, but also the other costs are more stringent.

The decoration cost is only 2000 dollars.

In order to have more local characteristics, Wakubo Rei invited the boss of Vietnam noodle shop to decorate together, and ventured to make a student of architectural design work together.

Some people say that it is precisely because the old city's boutiques subvert the traditional commercial area worship, the contrast between the civilian market style and the luxury style is strong. The merchandise is displayed on the low table for sale. The customers who stroll around are easily tempted to bring two pieces home.

Many years later, I mentioned the creativity of flash shop again, Wakubo Rei said, because innovation is the purpose of COMME des GARCONS.

No matter what we do, a jacket, an invitation letter, a store or a strategy will strive to carry forward this purpose.

The flash shop is also out of this consideration.

It is a very rude thing to turn off the store when it is hot.

But fashion is a "dying" industry, often at the moment of success is the beginning of downhill, so we can not live in peace and danger.

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"Careless" business opportunities

The success of guerrilla flash shop was far beyond Wakubo Rei's expectation. In a short year, inventory was cleared and new users were harvested based on concept marketing.

She began to fight guerrilla warfare, successively in the more than 20 cities of the world, and fought repeatedly, and the stock products became a marketing myth.

Previously, COMME des GARCONS was only a small fashion company with annual sales of only 120 million dollars. Guerrilla flash shop helped the company achieve a 30% to 40% growth.

Chuan has long realized that people are tired of what they can buy all over the world.

The flash shop can keep the fashion fresh to the greatest extent.

First of all, Wakubo Rei's flash shop emphasizes time limits, and the cycle is strictly controlled in 3 months to 1 years.

As soon as the time comes, we can only wait for the next fresh station.

The place and style are also limited.

Whether in Paris, New York or Tokyo fashion capital, Wakubo Rei's shops are all in the cold spot, avoiding the city center and away from the mature commercial area.

This represents a kind of rebellion and escape, but it attracts real fashion people. Curious people will also go to explore it.

Besides selling seasonal products, some shops specialize in limited products.

In Wakubo Rei's view, all scarce things can give customers more impulse to purchase.

There is no law in the shop decoration, there is no law. It is not cheap, but the style is different. For example, the glass house full of strange blue light is just like the contemporary art space.

Wakubo Rei has to create enough surprises for the crafty consumers in limited time and space.

Wakubo Rei's other desire is that her flash shop can also sell other designers' works, "everyone's unique style can be gathered in such a big environment."

From September 2008 to December, a COMME des GARCONS flash store in Tokyo showed Louis Weedon's 6 limited edition handbags, making a gimmick.

Customers choose clothes at Wakubo Rei's flash shop.

In the final analysis, a guerrilla and flash shop that comes and goes is actually planning, creativity and location in the long run. These details are not as casual and careless as their form.

Try something new.

The popularity of COMME des GARCONS guerrilla flash shop has made many independent designers and brands jealous. The marketing mode of subverting traditional retail has been rapidly cloned.

Now the guerrilla flash shop is more like an upgraded version of COMME des GARCONS.

They are shorter, two months, two weeks, or even two or three days.

These brands don't expect to get profits in a short time, but create topics for marketing.

The location of the flash shop is becoming more and more diverse. Many brands are trying to set up shops regularly in the bustling areas like Plaza, street, shopping center and others.

And more independent.

In 2011, a flash shop of clothing brand H&M appeared in Hague's Holland's fanning root beach, which lasted for two days.

The co-operative of this shop is a water aid organization. It is an international non-profit organization. It aims to improve people's quality of life by improving water supply channels and health systems.

H&M's Beach flash shop is quite public service.

In store style, they all unanimously pursue the innovation of COMME des GARCONS, such as the TRIWA watch store in Poznan square in 2012, and a tank built by more than 900 hard paper tubes into the shopping mall.

H&M's Beach flash shop is actually a large container that makes all passing people refreshing.

Besides selling different kinds of goods, the flash shop is also more creative.

In 2014, American designer Mark Jakob opened a flash shop for Daisy perfume in New York, but it did not sell anything at all.

In this 3 day flash shop, customers can manicure, listen to music and visit Mark Jakob's new products. If you see which one, you must upload photos of the store in Facebook, twitter and other social media in order to get it.

3 days later, the flash shop closed on time, and those pictures continued to circulate in the social media, promoting Mark Jakob's new products.