A STUDY OF DESIGN
Anthropologie’s Aaron Hoey chats with FrontRowMag.com
Having hit six continents in the past two years, Aaron Hoey, global merchandising manager of U.S.-based retailer Anthropologie, clearly has a plethora of influences to draw from when working with his close-knit team. After trips to Bali, Australia, India, Budapest, the Czech Republic and Cairo, to name a few, Hoey has seen all walks of life, encountered all types of artisans, collaborated with unknown artists and been invited into the homes of some pretty amazing people, both well known and little known.
With a unique approach to their merchandise (50 percent is designed in-house, while the other half is done with the help of artists from across the planet), Anthropologie stores are often stocked with one-of-a-kind pieces plucked directly from a far off garage/studio. “You have to get out there, you have to explore,” Hoey told the crowd at Toronto’s Interior Design Show this past weekend. “It’s not about expensive things, it’s about style at every level,” he said in terms of what they look to bring their customer. And what about the woman who wants to bridge their style from fashion to home decor? “It’s about taste,” he noted when we spoke to him. “Women now appreciate colour, shape and pattern.” Something that Hoey, who worked at The Gap in San Francisco before heading to Anthro’s Philadelphia headquarters, himself is hoping to bring more into the apparel line, since he recently made the jump to the clothing division.
Along with a Montreal location and two more stores in Toronto, expect to see more artful items of clothing, as well as the use of social media to tell the customer more about the artisans they work with. “It’s about that personal connection,” Hoey, who owns numerous pieces from people Anthropologie has collaborated with over the past 4 years, told us. “Knowing the artist is the most amazing part of buying art.”
