Le Bon Marché will offer a selection of pink products as part of its punk theme.
PRETTY IN PUNK: Targeting the inner rebel of luxury shoppers in Paris, Le Bon Marché will offer piercings and tattoos for this back-to-school season, stocking the floors with punk-flavored merch.
Punk has been a steady influence on the catwalks in recent seasons, but beyond fashion trends and nostalgia for times past, the tony, Left Bank institution’s embrace is the latest example of how traditional retailers are leaning on fresh activities, services, and exclusive products to pry consumers away from their phones and draw them into stores.
Staples will include Doc Martens, Underground creepers and studded biker jackets from Notify, while the theme mostly sits in the softer, colorful territory with high-end cashmere sweaters by From Future, with “So Punk” splashed across the chest in rainbow colors.
Seizing on another punk reference, the pink streak that, back in the day, might have punctuated a spiky hairdo has migrated to hair accessories, which include a pink, crystal-encrusted headband from Marina Fossati and pink crystal barrettes, and, heading down to the feet, glossy high-top Doc Martens and low-riding crystal-studded moccasins from Tod’s.
The theme extends to food — think Soffles chips, organic Get Raw bars and edibles from labels like Saucy Bitch, Rebel Kitchen, and Peak Punk.
Tapping into the musical side, the store will sell Gibson guitars — the store bills this as a first for the instrument-maker — and lifestyle brand Lola James Harper has imagined a music school where people can compose music, and the “Backstage” space will feature high-tech products geared to making music.
“Punk is the new chic,” asserts the department store’s press materials on the effort.
Le Bon Marché Goes All Punk With a Streak of Pink