The only thing missing from American Eagle's new retail concept, Martin + Osa, is an authentic waterfall, a picnic table and a grizzly bear or two.
Otherwise, the first Mar*tin + Osa store, which bowed at Tysons Corner in McLean, Va., Wednesday, contains all the elements of the outdoors on the inside, complete with American cyprus-paneled and quartzite walls, black-and-white outdoor videos and a fresh mix of women's and men's classic styling, denim and activewear.
The natural materials give the 6,500-square-foot store a rugged and raw quality and set the stage for the "fusion" of high-tech sport and casual sportswear in the brand's fall collection.
"We wanted people to have a sense there is something evocative inside, and we wanted them to be curious," said Arnold P. Cohen, chief marketing officer of the Martin + Osa division, pointing to the striking exterior of cyprus-paneled walls boldly cut by an inset strip of molded, handblown glass backlit with a dazzling blue light, touting the store's name.
A giant video screen, projecting black-and-white videos of Martin + Osa-clad models sporting the brand's fall line while on various outdoor adventures in northern California, splits the entrance of the store in half, with women's wear on the right and men's wear on the left.
Directly behind the video screen lies an alcove of wooden shelves displaying items in an area executives have fondly dubbed the "cabin."
The men's and women's sides are divided by long wooden tables, showcasing leather belts, scarves and other accessories in vintage glass display cases or handblown glass-dome cases.
The look and feel of the entire store evokes a cabin, sauna and spa wrapped into one rugged, natural design aesthetic, a look created by Michael Neumann Architecture.
The design aesthetic is "big, simple and true," said Ken Pilot, president of the division. "We are bringing the outdoors indoors. That is the inspiration for our store."
The company will open a second Martin + Osa store in NorthPark Center in Dallas next Wednesday, followed by a store in Newport Fashion Island in Orange Country, Calif., one in the San Francisco Center and a fifth store in Woodfield Mall, outside Chicago, in November.
Ten more stores are slated to open next year, and the company has its sites set on ultimately opening more than 300 stores in total, according to Cohen.
"The concept is clearly, initially, a predominantly mall-based concept to get national exposure," said Cohen.
Overall, the store carries its own active, denim and sportswear Martin + Osa brand, but it intersperses the collection with other accessories brands, particularly in footwear, where it carries limited-distribution tennis shoes, such as Puma and Adidas.
