Kale is the New Black

Change is the hallmark of the fashion industry, and today the rate of change within the industry is on a fast-track. The future of retail is now. Are you listening, all you naysayers out there? Those who embrace change will not only survive, they will prosper – change breeds opportunity.

Retail has always been quick to embrace innovation and new technologies. The early merchant princes of the 20th Century turned to cast iron architecture and plate glass, the innovations of the day, to create the first show windows – the catalyst and spark of visual merchandising.

It’s the visionaries who recognize the retail formula as a mirror of society and as a reflection of our culture; as an ever-changing entity. With the rise of fast-fashion, manufacturers direct-selling, convenience retailing, and of course, digital retailing and social media, retailers must continue to find creative ways to entice customers into the store.

The innovators of today include companies like Warby Parker, Argos and Story. They're mixing old retail with new retail. However, I'm most intrigued by the foodies of the fashion world. Yes, there's fashion in everything from couture cucumbers and designer melons to personal, classic and next generation blenders, juicers, cutters, carvers and obliterators. With wheat grass and kale sprouting across the landscape, destined for Ninjas and Magic Bullets to ensure that fashion juice courses through our veins, food, particularly health food — whether carb free, gluten free or sugar free — is assuming its place in the fashion spotlight. And retailers are taking notice. From Eataly to Galleries Lafayette (with their Lafayette Gourmet), food is clearly the flavor of the month.

Instagram moments are no longer relegated to a selfie in Times Square or an awesome sunset in Key West. Today, the cozy glow emanating from restaurants, bars, cafes and marketplaces around the world isn't coming from sexy wall sconces or elegant chandeliers, but rather from smartphone cameras firing away at everything from salad to sushi. In fact, Twitter and Facebook sport more images of food than McDonald's has burgers. And speaking of Micky D's, even they are innovating. Faced with myriad challenges, they're taking the “fast” out of “fast food” with customized burgers.  Customization, curated collections and locale-specific environments are new strategies for retailers who recognize that today's consumer wants it, they want it now, and they want it all. But take heart, all you traditionalists, effective retail still demands effective execution. It's not enough to have an idea – there must be a plan of delivery.

Experiential is the buzzword of the day. Retailers want to shatter expectations. When customers cross the threshold of your store, take them to a place they've never been before. Excite them, delight them and entice them – add elements of surprise and wonderment. Add that “ah-ha moment.” Whole Foods recently opened a store in Brooklyn that's been 10 years in the making. They've truly connected with the community and the demographic by being locale-specific and relevant. In addition to the store's interior wooden trim repurposed from the old and iconic Coney Island boardwalk, this purveyor of all things food is speaking its customers' language by featuring a working kale farm on its roof. This is innovative thinking. The trendy veggie is grown on the roof, harvested and marketed in the store below. A homegrown approach that's trending fast. Now that's a fresh idea.

Eric Feigenbaum is a recognized leader in the visual merchandising and store design industries with both domestic and international design experience.  He served as corporate director of visual merchandising for Stern’s Department Store, a division of Federated Department Stores, from 1986 to 1995. After Stern’s, he assumed the position of director of visual merchandising for WalkerGroup/CNI, an architectural design firm in New York City. Currently, he serves as the chair of the Visual Merchandising Department at LIM College (New York), and was also an adjunct professor of Store Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology. In addition to being the New York Editor of VMSD magazine, Eric is also a founding member of PAVE (A Partnership for Planning and Visual Education). Currently, he is also president and director of creative services for his own retail design company, Embrace Design.