On the first floor of DFS’ T-Galleria, customers can walk up to a painted fashion truck and order one edgy Pow! Wow! Hawaii T-shirt to go.
The luxury global goods brand is partnering with Pow! Wow! — an experiential movement to engage artists with the broader community — to serve up retail for the young at heart during a pop-up store promotion, T-Galleria Pow! Wow!, which began Wednesday and will run through Saturday. The uber-cool pop-up, which spans the length of the first-floor corridor, is literally bringing the "street" along with customers into the transformed store. It’s also giving local designer startups, many that don’t even have their own retail outlets, a chance to gain exposure to DFS’ international shoppers.
"It’s very nice to see a big international company support someone as local as us," said Amy Wong, whose children’s clothing line Big Bad Wolf is one of the pop-up’s featured brands. "It gives us the opportunity to raise awareness. There was a great initial rush when we opened, and I’m expecting the excitement to continue building."
Roberta Oaks Hawaii, whose colorful print and color combos have been recalling the fabulous ’60s since 2004, also has a pop-up site. Other popular stops will be FITTED, which was founded in 2005 by former pro skater Rene Matthyssen and former Tori Richard designer Keola Naka’ahiki Rapozo, and Scott Hawaii, which started in 1932 as a plantation boot supplier and now focuses on casual footwear and slippers. Then there’s In4mation, which is run by four partners — Ryan Arakaki, Todd Shimabuku, Jun Jo and Keith Kanagusuku — who bring an arty skating and surfing focus to their designs.
Live artists, DJ music, Brue Bar Cafe (which has two retail locations in Honolulu) and Agnes’ Bake Shop are delivering an extra dose of energy to the event. There’s a cubist sculpture coffee shop in the art of the pop-up venue, and Brue Bar Cafe baristas will be making the rounds serving java from speciality backpacks.
"This event gives us the chance to break into a very different market. We are excited to share our brand with tourists and with the local Waikiki workers," said Courtney Heim, daughter of Brue’s founder Matt Heim. "We think they’ll be very impressed with our locally roasted coffee."
Pop-up shoppers can also meet and greet artists and designers. On Monday from 7 to 8 p.m., Rapozo will meet with shoppers. On Tuesday the owner of Scott Slippers will do a meet and greet from 7 to 8 p.m.
The idea is to bring together community, culture and commerce for the thousands of visitors and locals who stream through the Waikiki store, said Bruce Lorange, who serves as general manager for LVMH group retailer DFS, overseeing the Waikiki T-Galleria.
"We are quite a staging for any emerging designer," Lorange said.
The partnership also benefits T-Galleria because the street vibe and product lines, whose entry points start from $25 to $150, will attract a wider demographic of shoppers, especially young buyers, said Lorange.
This event provides T-Galleria with new opportunities to connect to visitors and locals who shop for the experience as well as the product, said Lorange, who has extensive experience in Asia and formerly worked on the U.S. mainland where he developed punchy campaigns as creative director for Street Attack, a Boston-based alternative marketing firm whose clients include such brands as Sephora, Nike, Esquire, Microsoft and Miller Brewing Co.
"Our hope and philosophy is not that we sell luxury items, but that we create memories and experiences that are interesting. We’re offering the world’s most desired luxury items and Hawaii’s most desired street items. The products themselves are important, but it’s really all about the experience," he said. "We also want to get the message out the first two floors of T-Galleria are tax-free, not duty-free, so they open to local shoppers."
Waikiki-based real estate analyst Stephany Sofos said the event gives T-Galleria the opportunity to transform its offerings without making a major infrastructure change, while providing a chance for them to gain a deeper connection with the community.
"It’s a win-win," Sofos said. "It gives visitors a chance to buy an authentic piece of Hawaii, and it gives local designers a chance to gain recognition beyond their dreams."
