Confidence, beauty, and individuality these are the beliefs that have driven Bobbi Brown Cosmetics

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1 Confidence, beauty, and individuality these are the beliefs that have driven Bobbi Brown Cosmetics since its inception in Known for their neutral colors and natural looking cosmetics, the brand embodies a unique sense of style, glamour and elegance that is even reflected within their store design. Part of the Estee Lauder cosmetic empire since 1995, Bobbi Brown can be found internationally, whether in wholesale stores such as Bloomingdale s and Sephora or Bobbi Brown boutique stores and pop-up shops.

2 Maureen Case, President of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics and Jo Malone London, provides MiND readers with an in-depth look into the Bobbi Brown brand. Since 2002, Maureen has worked to develop and expand the brand worldwide, while making sure that Bobbi s own personal style goes into every detail, from beauty and cosmetics to interior design. Dubai Mall Bobbi Brown Where were the first stores of Bobbi Brown? How has the store design progressed since then? MAUREEN CASE: The first Bobbi Brown Cosmetics store was an installation at Bergdorf Goodman department store in NYC. Store design has certainly progressed from the time of the brand s inception. When Bobbi Brown Cosmetics first launched, we didn t have opportunity to fully express the personality of the Bobbi Brown brand in an architectural and/or experiential way at counter or in store. At that time, we were limited to showcasing the product in a traditional department store environment. Since then, store design has progressed significantly as we have ventured into free standing stores and have worked closely with Bobbi to realize the full brand experience.

3 This design model is inspired by Bobbi s aesthetic. Bobbi Brown boutiques are modern and chic, showcasing many industrial accents and refined color tones. Where did this design model come from? Is there a signature look implemented in all stores? MAUREEN CASE: This design model is inspired by Bobbi s aesthetic. With our free-standing stores, the goal is for the customer to feel completely comfortable and at ease, as though they re walking into one of Bobbi s personal spaces and interacting directly with her. The downtown chic aesthetic of NYC s Soho neighborhood, where our offices are headquartered, is a constant source of inspiration. Spaces are carefully curated with an eclectic mix of industrial pieces combined with clean, modern design elements with accents like chandeliers. The look is never contrived and has a slight residential feel to it, complete with Bobbi s personal touches. New Zealand Bobbi Brown

4 Light plays a big factor into make-up artistry and applying make-up. How does this factor into lighting design for the Bobbi Brown stores? MAUREEN CASE: Lighting is extremely important, and we work closely with Bobbi and our artists at counter to ensure that our spaces have the variety of light necessary to create looks that support Bobbi s natural makeup philosophy. As a teaching brand, the customer experience is rooted in highly experiential Makeup Lessons, where artists at counter teach women how to become their own makeup artists and enhance their natural features. This involves a lot of shade matching foundation being the most important product to match correctly to skin tone. Appropriate lighting is crucial to achieve this. As a result, all store design incorporates lighting from several different sources, including task lighting, special lighting in ceiling and ambient lighting that again replicates the residential experience, creating an atmosphere where women will ultimately want to apply their makeup. One highly recognizable design feature in store is the architectural window that is inspired by a SoHo loft window. This recognizable architectural element is designed to replicate natural light, and stays true to Bobbi s aesthetic. Bobbi Brown is also featured in wholesale stores like Sephora, Bloomingdale s etc. What is the difference between these store designs vs. the boutiques? MAUREEN CASE: When designing Bobbi Brown Cosmetics displays for a department store setting versus a free standing store, you have a limited opportunity to express the brand in an architectural sense. Therefore, conveying the brand identity is done through visual merchandising, such as product displays and graphics. Also, in a self-service environment like Sephora, copy becomes a crucial part of the visual merchandising strategy in order to introduce Bobbi s voice and personality into the shopping experience.

5 Bobbi Brown at Macys Herald Square A pop-up shop is a great promotional tool for brands; however, it takes a lot of quick, creative planning to develop a design that stays true to the brand. What is the creative process like when developing pop-up stores for Bobbi Brown? MAUREEN CASE: This is true we developed our Pop-Up Shop at Grand Central Station in NYC in just two weeks, so you have to get creative and think outside the box in terms of execution because you can t sacrifice the brand identity or customer experience. In this scenario, our goal was to retain the features of our free standing stores inside the Pop-Up space. To do this, we rendered a full-scale architectural model of a free standing store and had it printed onto wallpaper, which we then hung on the walls of the Pop-Up. The look was immensely successful you feel like you re in a real store, but it s simply a trompe l oeil effect on wallpaper. After that was installed, we added Bobbi s personal touch and signature aesthetic throughout the store with industrial pieces, neon signs with Bobbi s signature and Caravaggio lamps.

6 What roles do the employees at the Bobbi Brown stores? What type of experience can you expect when you step inside? MAUREEN CASE: Anyone stepping into a Bobbi Brown Cosmetics store or visiting a counter should feel as though they re entering Bobbi s home or personal studio. The makeup artists in store have been trained personally by Bobbi and her team of PRO artists in her beauty philosophy and makeup application techniques. As a result, they share this knowledge with our consumers and empower them to become their own makeup artist through highly experiential and customized complimentary Makeup Lessons. There is an entire menu of services that the consumer can choose from so that she gets the Makeup Lesson that is most beneficial to her and meets her personal makeup needs. The artists complete a face chart for each woman at the end of her Makeup Lesson, so she can retain a record of everything she learned that day. Bobbi s brand is rooted in teaching Bobbi Brown Paris Marais

7 Teaching seems to be a big component of the Bobbi Brown brand. How is this mentality featured in the stores and the services it provides? MAUREEN CASE: Bobbi s brand is rooted in teaching. Bobbi always says if she wasn t a makeup artist, she would have been a teacher, and her personal mission has always been to educate and empower women. As soon as a customer steps into a store, she is greeted by posters or signage in lightboxes that explain Bobbi s signature Makeup Lesson options, so the customer can immediately decide on which service is right for her. If she is unsure, our trained makeup artists will greet her personally and help her decide. All of our stores reflect that by ensuring that the space is functional for the makeup artists and that there are dedicated artistry stations for them to conduct the Makeup Lessons that are a pillar of the brand. The artistry stations are designed to optimize the teaching experience and allow for the artists to deliver elevated service to their customers. In many stores, you will also see a large gathering table, as though you were in Bobbi s home, gathered around her table. This fosters a sense of community and puts women immediately at ease. We re curious, with such a signature look in the stores, what do the Bobbi Brown offices look like? MAUREEN CASE: Unsurprisingly, the Bobbi Brown Cosmetics headquarters in Soho look very similar to the brand s free-standing stores. The offices are airy and open, with large windows and hardwood floors. They incorporate industrial pieces and ambient lighting throughout, with feminine touches like chandeliers and renderings of the latest campaigns. The walls are lined with photo galleries of shoots Bobbi has done, women that inspire her, hero products, a timeline of the brand history, and images that Bobbi finds inspirational. There is an open seating floor plan to foster community, and natural light floods the space. It is a very welcoming environment where our employees feel comfortable and inspired.