Marie Claire and Ocado are launching a physical store to support fabled.com, their new premium online beauty brand. The London store, designed by gpstudio, is located in the newly-developed Tottenham Court Road. It brings to life the Fabled collaboration between Marie Claire, a trusted brand authority in the world of beauty inspiration, education and advice for over 25 years, and Ocado, which has the necessary e-commerce expertise to launch Fabled as an online beauty and wellbeing brand. The site and store sell products from brands such as Estée Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Urban Decay, Nars and Perricone MD, and the site also customers editorial content, curated by beauty editor Sam Dean. The venture was first announced by Marie Claire owner Time back in February, and will be led by Amanda Scott, former head of buying for beauty and accessories at John Lewis. Editorial is headed up by freelance beauty editor Sam Dean.
The Fabled brand aims to break the mould on traditional beauty offers and create an exciting new platform for the world’s most premium brands. The store aims to bring a unique experiential spin on beauty retailing and complement the online offering. The studio’s conceptual idea for the two-level flagship store was to create a storytelling journey for the consumer. Throughout the store, shoppers will notice a focus on digital elements that continually link the 3D space to Fabled’s online store. This connection was created by using digital screens along with touch screen technology that allows customers to learn more about specific products and the background of beauty brands.
“With over 25 years of beauty inspiration, education and advice there is huge trust and respect in the Marie Claire brand”
The large space incorporates Marie Claire-led areas such as the Fabled Edits, dedicated to seasonal recommendations for shoppers. The store also hosts a Fragrance Room, using a unique and aesthetically pleasing idea of fragrance flowers. Fabled’s first floor mezzanine is a mecca to all things skincare. The choice of site was a conscious decision based on the Tottenham Court Walk development’s innovative design. This, combined with the site’s potential to capture a wealth of Cross Rail footfall, made it the perfect place to launch the exciting ‘test and play’ beauty store.
Gregor Jackson, Partner and Founder of gpstudio, said: “It has been immensely rewarding to work with two fantastic partners and help build a new brand that will offer shoppers a unique new way to get their beauty fix. We are pleased to have collaborated with Ocado and Marie Claire to create the Fabled flagship store, with a focus on its experiential platform, which is a key ingredient of this online brand. ” Amanda Scott of Fabled, added: “With over 25 years of beauty inspiration, education and advice there is huge trust and respect in the Marie Claire brand. This, coupled with Ocado’s e-commerce expertise, stands to be a great venture for both in their/our own fields of expertise.”
