Or perhaps you yearn for bergamot perfume or a plush silk pillowcase?
Curious to learn all that it’s possible for you to about your favorite store?
Read on to discover the untold truth of Anthropologie.
Guess what parent company owns Anthropologie?
When you step into an Anthropologie store, you know that’s exactly where you are.
Basically, it was a hippie trap, a formula that works for URBN to this day.
Hayne didn’t go about this task lightly, either.
“[It] was a return to an earthier sensibility,” Pompei explained toFast Company.
“We saw things that were tactile and visceral.
Things that engaged the whole body.
Texture was very important.
Storytelling was central.”
“Recently, what you do has become more important,” Pompei continued.
“We wanted to respond to the shift toward ‘who you are.'”
Wondering just how the name came to be?
According toLehigh Valley Life, Hayne graduated from Lehigh University in 1969.
That perspective informed how he built Anthropologie, which is simply the French version of the word.
“This is what makes our store experience: the ordinary to extraordinary, the handmade detail.”
Of course, up-cycling base materials into elegant cabinets and wall hangings isn’t going to be cheap.
In fact, each season, Anthropologie stores are given up to $5,000 for their window budgets.
That’s certainly a far cry from the bare warehouse look of stores like Costco and Walmart!
But it’s possible for you to’t argue that it works and renders Anthropologie a unique brand.
But shelling out $200 for shoes is just the start of it.
According toRacked, Anthropologie’s price tags are sometimes stratospheric.
Consider the $300 sweaters, or perhaps the $350 pitcher.
While you’re at it, why not plunk down $3,000 for a copper fire pit?
Heck, may as well splurge on that$9,000 camping tent, right?
It’s “perf for the pool,” after all.
It’s no wonder thatBuzzFeedpublished an exhaustive list of affordable alternatives.
Anotherexplained, “My culture is not your tote bag.”
Anthropologie quickly yanked the product off its shelves, and publicly apologized for the mishap.
ButEn Shallais the name of the brand who made the bag, so that’s not Anthropologie’s fault.
Still, it’s not a good look.
Or perhaps you might imagine yourself shopping the market stalls in a Moroccan souq?
If so, then Anthropologie has succeeded in its mission, according to corporate creative director Missy Peltz.
“Not only by a garment or gadget, but by an experience or scent.
We want to immerse the customer in a complete experience by appealing to all of her senses.”
“Our aesthetic is authentic and approachable,” Peltz continued.
“It is not pristine or precious, which at times can be intimidating.”
Each season, corporate dreams up three separate profiles of imaginary Anthropologie shoppers, as noted byRacked.
“We capitalize on existing architectural elements.”
“We want each store to have a unique personality and cater to the customer,” Norris continued.
“The customer in Miami is not the customer in Seattle.”
She does have a point, to be honest.
Clearly the formula works, as celebs are often paid very well for these brand partnerships.
And remember Roberts’ work in the 2001 filmThe Mexican?
Her costumes in the movie are literally from Anthropologie.
“We don’t call it a catalog,” she revealed in a chat withThe New York Times.
“We call it a journal.”
Of course they do.
And, of course, the entire interior of the store is marketed towards women.
“There are about 5000 other things they would put on the list ahead of clothes shopping.”
Say what you will, but homeboy knows his demographic.
That’s a lot of money!
However, Anthropologie ran into a little bit of trouble the following year, as noted by theChicago Tribune.
To that end, Richard Hayne steered the brand into a restructuring plan after some staffing changes.
As to what the future holds?
That’s anyone’s guess.
Did Anthropologie have a racist store policy?
While Anthropologie is generally an enjoyable place to shop, that doesn’t mean it’s without its controversies.
Sounds nice, right?
Anthropologie denied the allegations in a subsequentInstagrampost, and again promised that it would do better going forward.
