11/22/2010 09:31:38 AM 
This weekend in NYC, there was a "Pop-Up Flea Market".
It was an idea that combines the notion of temporary space with the opportunity to seemingly purchase low cost/used items.
The reality was somewhat different- it was a pop-up store for men's apparel and footwear and featured a mix of small hand crafted brands with big brands like Levi's and LL Bean.
It was a microcosm of the problem that big brands have when trying to be small.
Of course, they wanted to be present in the company of small, hand crafted brands, but they were anything, but the disconnect was obvious, not just in the way they displayed their merchandise- more money/investment and marketing, but also with the staff- on one side owners and craftsmen who made the stuff and the other, hired guns and marketing people.
There's no way of faking this stuff- if you want to be a part of the small batch/hand crafted movement you can just do it by association, you've got to really do it.
It's clear that consumers understand the difference between fake and real in this case and only the genuine article will suffice.
Brands trying to operate in this space, need to do it with a degree of authenticity and since the consumer seems to be crying out for products that are crafted and often made by hand in the US, what's stopping you from really doing it?
Think of a near world future where the big brands have an ecosystem of premium sub-brand partners who are supported and funded by the parent, but act nothing like it. They are allowed to craft and create autonomously, but the linkage and reference points are known and made clear to consumers.
Posted by Ed Cotton
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