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| Looking classic and hot at the opening of A&F Brussels! Photo by LaLibre | (image source) |
Abercrombie's lucky Belgian fans now have one of the most opulent A&F Flagship stores in the world! Housed within the Hôtel Wittouck de Medem, A&F Brussels furthermore showcases the Abercrombie & Fitch brand romantically within the luxury content. It once again affirms Abercrombie's commitment to its unique retail integrity promoting its image as one completely aspirational. More to the point, the inclusion of the word Hôtel, in the name of the structure, signifies hôtel particulier, a grand private house, and it is not to be confused with the general commercial understanding of the word hotel. Basically, people, it denotes a structure of upscale residence because only the upper class could afford such private homes distinct from the typical maison (which means a regular house). Yeah, French can be a confusing!
Addressed at Boulevard de Waterloo 20-21 (in French) / Waterloolaan 20-21 (in Dutch), Abercrombie & Fitch acquired the location back in late-2010. We all know that no move in part of A&F goes unnoticed, and the plans naturally made news. Everyone was convinced that the flagship store would be opening in March 2011. Well, March came and went and it was reported that the location would be completed by later in the year. By the summer, it was leaked that the opening was scheduled for December.
Meanwhile, within l'Hôtel Wittouk, the plans continued development. For the interior renovations and design, Abercromie & Fitch hired the reputable Belgian MichelGroup to oversee the implementation of the A&F Flagship prototype originally developed with the American firm, Selldorf Architects. A billboard was mounted on the front of the upper two levels. This left the construction eyesore available for everyone to see on the exterior of the ground floor. Portions of the facade on the ground level had to reconstructed. Protruding metal-and-glass windows had previously been installed over the original windows. It was quite ugly. A&F's renovations restored the original windows to return the structure its highest architectural expression.
By October, recruiting began for store models and other various positions (from managing to stocking) needed to operate the flagship. The business was estimated to generate up to 400 jobs! And it was by late-October that the precise opening date - December 8 - was finally unofficial confirmed through various media sources. Abercrombie & Fitch brought out its guys, from various international flagship locations, to officially promote the opening day! There were more than 40 of them to entice the audience. The construction billboard was down and up went the promotional poster on that very exciting December 2!
And you know news reporters and a massive line of fans awaited outside the doors for the opening! It's expected, every time! The entrance of the flagship store are the doors on the left of the building - Boulevard de Waterloo / Waterloolaan 21. And it was here where the attention concentrated. At 10:00, the doors swung open as Chris and a gorgeous Abercrombie girl walked out to salute the fans! People were allowed entrance in pockets of groups one-by-one ensure easy consumer flow...
A&F Brussels is beautiful. It is a part of a current trinity of A&F Flagships - A&F Paris, Madrid, and Brussels - sharing strong architectural resemblances among one another which exude pure, classic elegance - a play of stone and stucco and wood - highlighted by exquisite design and the choice of dim-lighting. But then the electronic music also blasts, and hot models abound, too, so that the overall environment and look is one of complete luxurious cool! Oh, and need it be mentioned that Dior, Burberry, Armani, and Chanel are neighbors of A&F Brussels on Waterloolaan?! How about that?!
Designed to offer up among the best of the A&F Lifestyle, Abercrombie & Fitch in Brussels absolutely surpasses the wants of every A&F Belgian fan! The ground level has all the awesome rugged, yet classic, styles for men while the second level provides women with all the gorgeous goods an Abercrombie girl needs! The entire retail space measures at 1,600 square meters (more than 17,000 square feet)...all you need to do is indulge! The final upper, third level is storage and office/employee space...
All-in-all, Abercrombie & Fitch in Brussels is an impressive new international location that's got fans partying it UP!
Stay FIERCE, everyone!
P.S. Once again, Abercrombie & Fitch has yet to post any pictures of the event on its official Facebook page. However, you can check out some really nice shots (here)!