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| Beats x MCM collaboration |
Popular lifestyle brand coming to Buckhead
MCM or Modern Creation Munich, plans to open a new store at Lenox Square in Buckhead. The nearly 2,500 square foot store will open in the former Kate Spade boutique on the first floor of the Luxury Wing. Kate Spade relocated to Phipps Plaza last year.
According to a building permit filed this week with the City of Atlanta, $100,000 will be spent to convert the space to suit MCM's needs.
MCM previously operated a store at Lenox Square in the late 80s and early 90s near where Urban Outfitters is today, but it closed about 20 years ago.
The MCM label, which originally stood for Michael Cromer Munich, was founded by Michael Cromer in 1976 in Munich, Germany. The company's pricey leather suitcases and handbags became popular during the 1980s for being "ostentatious and flashy." At the height of the brand's popularity in 1993, it operated 250 stores worldwide, with sales of a quarter billion dollars. Following a 1995 investigation of Cromer for alleged tax evasion by German tax authorities, MCM's financial stability was questioned. In 1997, the company was restructured, and its stores and trademark rights were sold.
"In 2005, the worldwide rights to the MCM brand were acquired by Sungjoo Group, a South Korean retail business founded by Sung-Joo Kim. Kim re-launched the brand in 2006 with a new store in Berlin and appointed German designer Michael Michalsky as MCM’s creative director." Since 2006, the brand has again become quite popular and additional stores and wholesale accounts have been added around the world. Today the brand has twelve "flagship boutiques" along with being in over 300 branded, specialty and departments stores in 35 countries.
MCM is known for their signature bags and purses but also offers select other small goods and shoes. The brand's MCM logo pattern, called Cognac Visetos, is found on most of their products, often printed on coated canvas. In addition, the brand recently introduced a new collaboration, Beats x MCM, that pairs the brand's signature logo with the now Apple-owned Beats headphones and speakers.
One of the most popular MCM items is their assorted backpacks that start in the $600 range and can go as high as nearly $2,000. The MCM logo belts and hats are also popular pieces of the collection. Most belts are priced around $300, hats around $400, and made of coated canvas and leather.
Personally, it amazes me that brands like Louis Vuitton, Goyard and MCM are able to command the prices they do for products made of coated canvas. Leather products from the likes of Bottega Veneta and Salvatore Ferragamo seem far superior in craftsmanship and value to comparable items from other designers. The only MCM I like is Mid Century Modern.
MCM is already carried at three stores in Lenox Square, two just in the Luxury Wing: Neiman Marcus and Pure Denim. Bloomingdale's also carries the line.
MCM is just the latest brand to choose the established success of Lenox Square over the new Buckhead Atlanta. I broke news earlier this year of Escada's plans to open a new boutique at Lenox Square, adjacent to the MCM store. Lifestyle brand Tory Burch will open a second Buckhead store at Lenox Square, with an existing store at Phipps Plaza. Tesla and CH Carolina Herrera opened in Lenox Square last year, while Diane Von Furstenberg added a signature boutique to the mall earlier this year.
What are your thoughts on the MCM brand? Are you willing to spend big bucks on coated canvas because of its cache, or do you prefer quality leather pieces? What are your thoughts on the Buckhead Atlanta project and how it has impacted Lenox Square, either for better or for worse?
Please share your thoughts below.