The terms Icon, Iconic, Classic, (and even ironic) seem to have sadly been rather beaten about about for some time now. One only need to think of the popular term 'instant classic' to know language has taken a real beating. Lets face it, 'instant classic' is an oxymoron! It takes time to become a classic and no matter how you may feeel about something new; only the passage of time and society's take on that thing; film, art, fashion, architecture, song, whatever-will reveal if something becomes a classic or not.
Now the word Icon also follows all the same rules as for the word Classic. It takes time to build an Icon just as it does to create a true Classic, it doesn't happen overnight. So as you can imagine it was with a little trepidation that I attended the launch of the brand new Esprit Icon store at Wesfield in the Sydney CBD last week. Whilst in my minds eye I knew the new Esprit store would be a fabulous shop front opening onto the mall, the still continuing construction work, lolly-pop-people-&-cement-trucks nature of the Pitt St Mall forced me off of Pitt St and directly into the bowels of the new New NEW Wesfield in the city. Not such a bad thing really as whilst wandering about looking for the Esprit store I did get to see just how BIG this new shopping development in Sydney really is. Its HUGE, but as I soon found a touch screen directory it was not long before I was standing before the lower ground entrance to Esprit and a solitary security person who, as a veteran of many many nights of Night Clubbing, I chose to completely ignore as I strode towards the small gap of an entrance before me. Well I am clearly losing my touch as I was stopped and asked if I had been in here before... "No, but I am on the list". I was required to make my way back up to the Pitt St entrance where surprise surprise a red carpet arrival awaited 'me'.
I won't say much about my arrival other than to say that to everyone I met who remembered me from the Ford Connect launch party; I apologised to and promised I would behave myself tonight!
The good news is that it seems the people at Esprit really do know what the word Icon means. They know that you cannot become an Icon overnight and that it takes time and effort-that to be an Icon means raising the bar to a particularly high place, a place well above and beyond what you would expect and more than that as well. This was immediately born out Vis-à-vis by experiencing just how nice everyone was at the store. If it was not that I know every stop on the train ride from Marrickville to St James station where I alighted my trip, I could have sworn I had slipped into some sort of space-time-continuum-vortex and emerged at a store opening in Melbourne! Yes, people were so nice I almost forgot I was in Sydney & thought, "my god, its just like I am in Melbourne"!
The press release said that the launch would have something for everyone-kids welcome! And I must say that I did think that was a pretty big call; and yet they delivered. Apart from topless male models strolling around the store, yes there is for-the-first-time-in-Australia an Esprit menswear section (on the third floor). The fashion show had both teen and kid dancers who also doubled as models, doing their thing kitted out head-to-toe in Esprit. Between the dance routines came your more typical runway show; all in all it there was something for everyone and everyone in attendance seem to be like-me having a pretty good time.
The funny thing is, or was, although this was a great big opening of a great big store. Something has stuck with me over the past week. And it kind of goes without saying that if I had posted a story about this opening next-day, well... I have been mentioning to friends that this opening was a lot like dropping into your fav small boutique where they know you, they offer you a glass of champagne. I thought those days were gone but my friends assure me they are still alive and well. The opening, no; the store felt personal. And that is something special; if you want to be an Icon store, that has to be a truly great start. Anyway, enough of my blather, if you have read this much of such a long post even if you are on a slow connection all the pictures must have loaded by now. Enjoy!
