The brand’s best outlet for expression. Always defying the conventional way of creating shops. In 1981, with the self-service concept. In 2000, with the temporary stores. Constantly working with artists and architects. And in the ReCamper shops, offering the same shopping experience.
In 1981, the first Camper store opened in Barcelona. After seven years of successfully marketing products through multi brand stores, Camper realised that such shoes needed an alternative, dedicated setting that would allow customers to interact with the shoes and the brand. Here began the development of unique stores.
The concept was self-service. A shoe store that showed all the styles and sizes available. The new Camper store was revolutionary but also a conceptual showcase for a new graphic experience; boxes, posters, bags with messages, and displaying the shoes in this new way confirmed the brand was able to enter into dialogue with customers --and the customer understood. The stores became a window for Camper, through which to look out and to be looked at. The world saw Camper’s shoes and philosophy but it also gave Camper the opportunity to see what was happening on the other side of the glass!
international expansion began in the early 1990’s. For many brands their stores were the same regardless of the country and although really well thought out the result was uninspiring. At Camper the concept of identity and diversity always go hand in hand, So the strategic decision was that every store should be different.
The “Walk in Progress” concept was born in 2000. The concept was the brainchild of Camper and Catalan designer Martí Guixé.
Camper wanted to continue with international store openings, but faced the problem of acquiring store space quickly, then trading as soon as possible to pay for the investment! Out of necessity, to fulfil the company philosophy, the temporary Walk in Progress concept was born. The idea is simple: to make a temporary, provisional interactive design, with furniture made from recycled materials, allowing the store to open and trade before the definitive design and decoration are complete.
With this idea as the objective, execution is simple, quick and inexpensive. The store is decorated with a central table made from shoe boxes, for displaying the shoes. The walls are painted white with a “imagine a better world” title to invite the customers to write and draw their messages, ideas, dreams, impressions etc., emphasising the interactive nature of the Walk in progress concept. The store is always self explanatory.
Many Camper “Walk in Progress” stores have been inaugurated. The first was in Milan, via Montenapoleone 6, in March 2000., Since then many have followed across the world including, Rome, Piazza di Spagna 72, Paris, 14-16 Rue Faubourg St. Honore, Hong Kong, 2-4 Kingston Street, Berlin, Neue Schoenhauser str. 11 – and San Francisco, 39 Grant Avenue, then London at 209 Oxford Street. The Walk in Progress store concept is both practical and fun as it allows full interaction between the customer and the brand.
Throughout its history Camper’s personality and in particular the one reflected in its stores, has been enriched with the contributions of designers, architects and artists. Carlos Rolando, Javier Mariscal, Neville Brody, Óscar Mariné, Peret or the Memphis group, among many others, aside from characters like Fernando Amat, Oleguer Armengol, Jordi Nogués, Shiro Miura or Marti Guixé, have contributed in making these spaces always different and always special, becoming, together, an important active of the brand because they transmit the true values and image to the client.
It now gains more strength than ever with these new projects, in limited edition, like the ones developed “together” with Jaime Hayon, Alfredo Häberli, the Campana Brothers, Maria Blaisse, Konstantin Grcic, Bernhard Willhelm and the Bouroullec Brothers.
Camper continues innovating and opts for new languages that communicate the essence of a brand that is always loyal to its original spirit. Together: together, with, +, &, responds to today’s global reality. It is the ability to integrate different knowledge and cultures into one project, and an organization capable of ensuring international distribution.
Camper decided to develop a new channel to complete the lifecycle of those products which for a number of reasons could not be introduced into the normal sales channels –products with minor imperfections, or stock left from past seasons, prototypes, press collections etc., As these were in perfect condition for use, the “best possible destination” was sought for these shoes, and among the various possibilities, Camper decided to sell them at a reduced price in Re-Camper Shops (outlets).
