The Big Shuffle

Could troubles in the fashion retail sector hit the co-working space?

Recent updates and headlines talk about fashion retailers going out of business in Israel. Disrupted by e-commerce, Open Borders and general loss of Interest, retailers need to rethink the entire space

"The entire space is under stress. Online, Cheap flights and credit pressures from the banks are killing the sector" recently said a fashion retail executive. https://bit.ly/2FUmFYq

Learn from the Distinguished Ape.

Evolution often demonstrates, when it comes to disruptions that observing the smallest species can reveal the biggest opportunities.

It's time to shuffle the categories. Retailers may just be the biggest competitors to the Co-Creative Hubs and co-working spacers. Should Wework be concerned? 

A recent headline from The News-Review that caught my attention. 

Distinguished Apes strives to become community resource

"Eric Andrews of Roseburg has a vision to transform his men’s retail shop into a place where other local entrepreneurs can come sell their products, learn about graphic design or work." 

Transformation costs are not dramatic. as Andrews seeks to finance the reconstruction of his business through a $25,000 FedEx Small Business Grant he hopes to win. Money should go to hiring help and purchasing equipment for graphic designers and help jump-start projects, classes, and events. 

There are other examples of transforming retail spaces into co-creation / co-working hubs, but not without challenges. Becoming a community space requires more than just printers and coffee machine. Community management, Projects, Industry networking are serious efforts for the small store owners, but very well be an opportunity for the big players to embrace both disruption and creativity of local ecosystems. By building on the strengths of the existing space and incorporating the ever growing creative class into stores, fashion brands can literally do what they advertise - be a lifestyle.

Could this signal a return to a classic role of the fashion store as a community center? will it spark new social revolutions? want an example?

"In the seventies, a 4ft rubber sign screamed ‘SEX’ into the streets of West London. The pink letters marked 430 Kings Road; the site of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s punk London boutique. The shop was a dressing room for true revolutionaries; 'You couldn't imagine the Punk Rock thing without the clothing', Westwood said."

With a large number of rented spaces, fashion retailers have a potential for starting new fashions. not just sell it. Disruption means either getting out of business or getting it to new ones. And possibly recent challenges and recent emerging trends can merge into a cross-category and cross-sector disruption. As Amazon goes into healthcare, and banks and retailers are switch roles. The age of big sectors shuffle is closer than ever. Get ready for new styles.