Yep, I'm sure you guessed it: American Eagle Outfitters.
Do you want to look boring and conventional? Do you want your look to be overwhelmed by over-saturated fuchsias and kelly greens? Do you want your clothes to fall apart? Then hey, it's your store. American Eagle represents the opposite of everything that I agree with. The stores play loud pop music, complete with music videos, the clothes are far too stretchy for anyone's good, and the design aesthetic is juvenile, often heart-covered, and easy.
But a thousand "oh, thank GOD"s for sister lines! American Eagle, through all their mundanity, realized that in order to succeed they'd have to appeal to a wider base than just "tell Brian that Katy said that Amber thought Josh liked Stacy".
Thus, American Eagle's developers created Martin+Osa, a clothing store that targets a 25-40 year-old customer.
And oh my GOD, they did it WELL.
The store is named for a "globetrotting husband and wife team" who apparently did all sorts of exciting things in Africa and the South Pacific, which is why the brand is so travel and outdoor-oriented. The store will recycle customers' old clothing, and screens in the stoor play videos of a couple (resembling the original Martin and Osa) being very organic, flowery, and calmly excited about the outdoors.
Martin+Osa is one of those lifestyle retailers, a store into which you walk and everything around you suddenly transports you elsewhere. The storefront has no windows, only wood and opaque blue glass. The stores themselves are cedar-scented (thanks to a continuous spray of two different woodsy scents) and wood-lined, with very minimalistic and organic decor. Well-designed lighting effects make it look as though clouds are passing overhead.
I think Martin+Osa is one of the smartest stores around. The minute you walk in you are welcomed by a scent of cedar (what other clothing store smells like cedar?), and at the counter, displayed for the purchase, are Martin+Osa candles that smell exactly the same. As you shop, a sales person will offer you a free bottle of Fiji water. The dressing rooms feature floor-to (very tall) ceiling doors and mirrors. Inside the dressing room is a well-designed button to press for assistance, underneath which is the phrase "We're at your beck+call", which repeats the plus sign used in the store logo. Even tags are not attached to the clothing with plastic, but with these crazy metal safety pins unlike any I'd ever seen before.
Needless to say, Martin+Osa is a very high-end retail experience for a moderate price. They've capitalized on the aesthetic of their store, and created a whole new trend. No detail or service was overlooked in the production of this brand, and I'm sure it will stay around for years.
And finally, people dressing above their age rather than below it!
