2012年8月25日星期六

Typical被看成Atypical















視覺文化Visual Culture

引言

提起紅酒,大家總覺得法國人是很懂得品評和欣賞紅酒的;而懂得咖啡愛喝咖啡,也是意大利人給人的感覺。這是因為紅酒和咖啡,早已是法國人和意大利人生活的一部份,經年累月沈澱着文化和歷史的韻味。

香港是全球佩戴眼鏡人口比例最高的城市,眼鏡是不少人的生活必需品,但當提起眼鏡,大家卻不認為香港人對眼鏡文化很有認識。其實香港戴眼鏡的經驗不會比其他國家的人少。

Visual Culture的創立,正是希望透過對眼鏡的知識和平台,匯集、累積和分享香港人戴眼鏡的文化,這種精神就是Visual Culture一直堅守的經營理念。

Typical被看成Atypical
90年代初至2000年代中,零售市場上的中高檔眼鏡多為時裝品牌的出品,當中大部分並非出產眼鏡的專業品牌。相反,優質的專業眼鏡品牌出品卻很難在市面上找到,實在可以用「古怪」來形容當時眼鏡市場的生態環境。

香港寸金呎土,要開舖殊不簡單。成立之初,Visual Culture只能在冷門的地點經營:在樓上單位,用上喜愛的裝修,播放自己喜愛的音樂`理念,銷售最傳統手工藝眼鏡品牌。店舖有以白色磚牆,其意念來自熱愛的英國樂隊Pink Floyd的一張專輯「迷牆」(The Wall),並張本來梅花間竹白磚排列改成整齊排列,寓意堅定的方向清晰已不再迷惘。

希望引入更多專業眼鏡品牌的出品,讓大家多一些選擇,改變眼鏡市場由時裝品牌主導的現象,打造成真正Typical眼鏡專門店,並沒有太多商業上的計算。但是,這種風格反而給外界常報導為「atypical optical select shop」。


堅持理念
Visual Culture2011年銅鑼灣開設旗艦店(第四分店),本地市場已漸漸接受這類所謂「非典型」眼鏡店,我們有了新的發展,靈機一觸,決定將店舖裝潢主題定為「Stone」。靈感來自中國古典哲學家老子,他用物質轉變來比喻事情的狀況,認為美玉雖然潤澤珍貴,但未經雕琢時的狀態卻只是粗糙的石頭。「石頭」可比喻為未經發現的美玉,質樸無華,但配以心思和時間,必定耀眼觸目。Visual CultureStone」的設計概念由此而生,當然,一直沿用的白磚牆同樣會出現在參與設計的每間店舖內。
 本地的眼鏡潮流文化有很大轉變, 顧客也對眼鏡有更深的認知,以往可能着重鏡架要有高級品牌的商標,但現在會更懂得從多角度分辨眼鏡的優劣,同時在款式的搭配上也有更豐富的知識。在不斷堅持下,Visual Culture現時售賣的眼鏡當中,超過90%的單品都是專業眼鏡品牌的出品。



眼鏡文化交流

Visual Culture並不滿足於純粹銷售眼鏡,更熱衷於眼鏡文化和其他單位交流,並會於店內舉行期間限定和其他單位合作展覽。其中一次是與日本專門售賣古董眼鏡的單位Solakzade 合作,彼此早已相識多時,Visual Culture覺得其收藏品十分吸引及富有觀賞價值,跟 Visual Culture的眼鏡一樣富有歷史文化色彩。這個Trunk Show去年底於 Visual Culture 旗艦店內舉辦,反應非常理想,聚集了一群眼鏡知識水平很高的人甚至本地的眼鏡收藏家,作了一次非常好的交流。除了作為零售商,Visual Culture亦希望肩負推廣眼鏡文化的責任。

Visual Culture


Introduction

When we talk about wine, the French definitely gives an impression that they know well in tasting, judging and appreciation of it. As for expertise in coffee, the same feeling is given by the Italian. This is because wine and coffee has been integrated well as part of the daily life of the French and the Italian, through long years of precipitating culture and historic charm.

Interesting fact: Hong Kong ranks top amongst the world for having highest proportion of the population in wearing glasses. A pair of glasses is in fact a necessity of many people’s daily life. However, when we talk about glasses, no correlation comes to our mind between Hong Kong people and the culture of Optical Glasses, like wine with the French, nor coffee with the Italians. Certainly experience level of Hong Kong people in wearing glasses are not less than any other countries.

The mission, why Visual Culture was founded, is in hope to gather, cultivate, and share with Hong Kong people about the Culture of Visual eyewear through our expert knowledge and platform of global eyewear culture. This mission of Visual Culture remains firmly committed to the business philosophy.


Typical is seen as Atypical
From the early 1990s to the 2008s, high-end glasses were produced in the retail market based on fashion instead of professional based.


In contrast, high-quality and professional eyewear were difficult to be found in the market, we can even use the word "weird" to describe the ecological states of the eyewear market at that period of time.

It is never easy to open a store in Hong Kong, where is known as a prime real estate across the world.

In the beginning, Visual Culture can only be operated in an upstairs unit located in a popular region. With their favorite interior design, playing their favorite music, Visual Culture perseveres with their concept, selling brands with traditional handicraft eyewear.

Once you step in Visual Culture, the white brick wall can immediately catch your eyes, the idea of this came from a beloved British brand: Pink Floyd’s album “The Wall”. The original alternately pattern was rearranged into a neat structure now, implied the meaning of clear mindset with concrete direction.

Visual Culture wants to provide consumers more choices by introducing more professional eyewear brands to the population. We hope to deviate the existing eyewear market from fashion brand dominated into a simply TYPICAL eyewear concept store. However, their style and notion usually be reported as ‘‘ATYPICAL optical select shop’’.

To insist on idealism
In 2011, Visual Culture opened their flagship store in Causeway Bay, which is their fourth branch in Hong Kong. The local market finally has come to accept their concept of ‘‘ATYPICAL optical shop’’. With their new evolution, “Stone” is chosen to be the interior design theme of this flagship store. This idea was inspired by the Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu, who described a situation by applying the conception of substances alteration. He believed that although jade is a precious treasure, it is solely a rough stone before carved.

“Stone”, metaphor of an undiscovered starkness jade, however with time and effort, its dazzle will then be revealed. And certainly, the white brick wall is kept in this “stone” design based flagship store.


Eyewear trend and culture have a significant change nowadays; consumers might focus more on frames with high-end trademarks in the past; but now, they have a deeper understanding of eyewear, know how to distinguish the pros and cons of frames from different perspective, also have a better knowledge in matching style. To insist on idealism, over 90% of eyewear could be found in Visual Culture are traditional brands.