22 years after its creation, Spanish retailer Pull&Bear has finally opened their first store on Berlin’s iconic shopping beat Ku’Damm. To mark the occasion, they threw a party where international press and a handful of the city’s young and hippest were allowed to sneak an exclusive peak at the label’s new space and collections. Centrally located, the store beckons its fashion-conscious and –curious clientele off the street and into its airy space, conceptualized by internationally renowned interior designer Lázaro Rosa-Violán. The building façade’s luminous transparency allows passers-by a good look at all that’s inside, and brings a sense of the urban vibrancy of city life going on outside right into the store.
Split across two floors, you enter into a shopping environment that is unfinished DIY-cool, and in love with eclectic, uniquely designed details at once. Stucco walls, exposed brick, designer lamps and 1950s-inspired Americana neon signs… – Pull&Bear’s new concept revolves around the Californian city of Palm Springs, reflected in the clothes as well as the store’s design and colour scheme. In keeping with fusing unexpected elements in a way that creates an organic effect, Pull&Bear offer an exciting interactive experience that combines purchasing and social networks: one highlight in their new store is the digital photo booth, where customers can take photos and share them with their social networks in real time.
Founded in 1991, Pull&Bear is a veteran amongst commercial retailers. But the dedication to offering their customers affordable seasonally updated basics, trend-conscious signature pieces and several collections ranging from luxury-sportive to cutting edge-designs hasn’t waned. And denim, which is “at the heart of the brand’s aesthetic vision and all their collections”, according to a representative of the design team, comes in all shapes and washes.
This season’s ranges showcase the influence that the label has taken from other cultures: Flowing silken pieces with Japanese floral prints, and long shirts and blouses referencing Indian silhouettes and patterns. Bright graphic prints and colourful jeans shorts re-introduce a Californian summer feel to the line. It is an eclectic array of inspirations, but one that invites the customer to boldly play around with and combine unpredictably.
Pull&Bear’s philosophy to encapsulate an attractive blend of hipness without inaccessible pretentiousness, and innovation without over-the-top unrelatability shines through in their opening party. The later it gets, the more the vibe turns into that of an upscale house party with exceptionally well-dressed guests, state-of-the art canapés and even a mask workshop where anyone feeling inspired is invited to get creative with up-and-coming visual artist Mymo. Champagne-happy revellers chat, try on clothes, snap pictures of each other, and move to electronic beats. Young, relevant, fresh, fun and easy-going: Berlin and Pull&Bear should get on like a house on fire.
