1-Why this name “Blow up”?
Because of Antonioni’s film of the same name: the story of a photographer at the end of the 1960s who, while enlarging a photo, realizes that he has witnessed a crime scene. The aesthetics of the ultra-sophisticated shooting scenes always oscillate between sixties off-beatness and a latent anguish à la Bourdin that is absolutely fascinating.
2-Who are you? What are your profiles and experiences? What was everyone’s background before opening the store?
Florent is the mathematician! After a BAC S, he undertook a BTS in accounting.
Sophie has a fashion profile: a BTS in fashion design and several years of styling in press, TV and creative office. A visit to Kiliwatch too!
3-How is the team structured? In short, who takes care of what?
Florent takes care of everything related to accounting and management.
Sophie is in charge of purchasing and communication.
4-Why open a vintage shop in Aix-en-Provence?
After the disappearance of Kiloshop 10 years ago, there was no longer any real clothing in Aix-en-Provence, and yet we could sense a real demand because with the arrival of American Apparel and The Kooples last year, Aix took on the air of rue Tiquetonne. The only thing missing was Etienne Marcel’s central and unavoidable point, Kiliwatch, which we already knew so well!
5-What is the concept of the store?
Despite what most people think, we are not a consignment shop. At first, we largely provided the store with our personal “collections”. Then we have suppliers who harvest junk internationally. The clothes are sorted by category, so we only have to sort the pieces we like in each of them. There is always the possibility to buy unsorted lots by the kilo, but there the bad surprises are often big and generate too much loss. We focus on quality so we sort as much as possible. We want to offer original vintage items that are in line with the latest trends.
As for the general atmosphere that we wanted to give to the store: we find ourselves in a 50’s diner decor mixed with a Factory spirit. As in the film Blow Up, two universes cohabit strangely, thus proposing something resolutely new for a city like Aix-en-Provence which remains very classical.
6-Why this craze for vintage?
As far as we are concerned, Florent has always been in it with his father, a multi-collector who, even as a child, made him go to garage sales.
As for Sophie, she discovered it more during her studies in fashion history, and then definitely during her time at Kiliwatch, and during fashion shoots, because vintage offers truly amazing and unique pieces.
Sophie: In general, I think that people are increasingly looking for uniqueness and originality in response to the market being flooded by chains that all offer the same thing at prices that are increasingly higher while the quality does not follow. With the vintage, we have the guarantee of a unique and good quality product since it has already crossed several decades.
7-What is your own definition of vintage?
For us, a true vintage product must be representative of an era in terms of shape, color and especially in terms of finish.
8-Do you have a vintage shop as a reference model?
We are often compared to the Camden or Berlin thrift stores, but none of this was taken as a model. It was important to have both in the selection of pieces and in the decoration, a space that really resembles us and that we like.
9-What is the top vintage in terms of clothing and accessories right now?
This winter, the sailor jacket is still very present, the officer jackets like Sergeant Pepper’s with braids and brandebourg are more and more difficult to find, the studded perfectos and the US teddy. On the accessories side, fringed and leopard print tyrol scarves, oversized Lanvin-style bow ties, Doc Marten’s Made In England.
10-What will be the must-have vintage clothes and accessories this spring/summer 2010?
We are delighted with the return of the 50’s maxi shorts that are flooding the collections.
Leather shorts, “nude” if possible, to be worn high waisted and belted.
Denim overalls and shirts.
The retro glasses, timeless.
For the bag, we will try to get as close as possible to a Kelly (Hermès).
And the “bird” and gingham prints.
11-Where and on what criteria do you choose the clothes and accessories offered for sale?
There are wholesalers in vintage thrift stores. We take a lot of notice of the fashion shows, go back to Paris at least once a month, and are fans of the international street look blogs. We mix the whole with our personal tastes. Then there is the quality and condition of the product. Aix-en-Provence is a very difficult city when it comes to fripe. Since the disappearance of Kiloshop, people are not used to the concept at all, there is a real work for us to provide at this level.
12-What prices do you charge?
We are in the provinces, so our prices are much lower than in the capital.
Count on average 25€ for a dress, 10€ for a tee-shirt, 59€ for leathers and furs.
13-How is the store set up? How is it decorated? Is there a merchandising policy?
The store has 130 m² divided into 4 ultra airy spaces because having already worked in the clothing industry we know only too well how unpleasant it is to twist under a rack to reach a pair of boots or to rummage on racks ready to explode. You will find most of the accessories stored in an authentic Frigidaire at the entrance. The dresses in the second room as well as the accessories stuffed in their old foot tub. The upper rooms in the third room with its rear projection screen in the American drivin’ style. The bottom pieces, the sportier ones, a wall of pumps and bags on the back stage. On the whole, we try as much as possible to proceed by silhouette or by style. For example, we will place the 80’s sweaters on the top rack with leggings or carrot pants underneath that remain in the same decade.
The whole decor is very 50’s thanks to its checkerboard floor, the riveted metal ceiling, the built-in Buick, the jukeboxes, the pinball machines and all sorts of antique objects.
14-How do you relate to your customers? Do you do customer consulting?
That’s what’s so funny here. Probably because we are in the same age bracket as our customers, we have absolutely no feeling of being in a salesman-customer relationship. It is not uncommon to find ourselves in a game of Double Dutch with them in the back of the store, or focused on Cambodian karaoke on the projection screen. We advise them, we also metamorphose them sometimes in too much looks: in short, we have fun! As for friends, we have a small notebook in which we note what so-and-so is absolutely looking for, his size, his shoe size, and at the time of our next supply, we try to find him.
15-For whom and for what purposes do you have a Facebook profile?
Most of our customers are on Facebook. With each new arrival, we select and photograph the best pieces, and give them a preview of what they’ll be able to find that week. Some people reserve products for us through this process. On our side, it also allows us to warn the people for whom we have found specific pieces: they just have to come and get them at the store. It is also a way to involve our customers in the life of the store, to survey them… Sometimes they take pictures of themselves with their latest acquisitions and post them to us.
16-Do you have other positioning and visibility strategies on the Internet and elsewhere? Which ones?
We communicate on magazines like “A Nous”, we are also partners with local universities which benefit from discounts, and we are preparing a website.
17-What are your clothing styles? Do you dress vintage on a daily basis?
Yes, always! We are both very influenced by the Rockab’ culture and the 80’s England.
18-What are the vintage pieces that you absolutely must remove from your wardrobe?
Sophie: Ah ah! I can’t find it. There are some pieces I can think of but unfortunately they have not yet become popular: the bootcut and the jogging suit!
19-Who is the typical “Blow up” client?
Our typical customer is between 15 and 30 years old, often bobo, largely influenced by fashion, he is looking for the piece in full trend, but with details and a unique print. Many Anglo-Saxons and Germans who study in France are delighted to find a bit of their culture here.
20-What are your short/medium/long term projects?
A silk-screening workshop in the basement is underway as well as a photo space with all kinds of Lomo. In the future, no more parties. And in the long run, an arty bookstore corner and the importation of far-away, cutting-edge brands. As accomplished city dwellers, we want to return to a capital city with perhaps still some vintage, but it remains to be seen which one!
21-What are the other good vintage addresses in the province?
The Shop’In in Marseille : 55 rue sainte / tel : 04 91 54 22 92
Kilo Stock in Montpellier : 6 rue de l’université / tel : 04 99 65 06 19
Elisa Palmer
Cette publication est également disponible en : Français (French)
