Imitation of Christ Retail Store
Imitation of Christ
September 8-15, 2004
Locations throughout New York City
Photo courtesy of Creative Time
For one week in September 2004 in a unique collaboration with Creative Time, the couture fashion label Imitation Of Christ launched the most renegade model of the retail experience New York City had ever seen. The “store,” actually a portable installation, was a beautifully designed Plexiglas box, containing a neon sign announcing the label, a lone salesman, and the single item for sale each day, which ranged from a $2,000 couture dress on one day to a cocker spaniel puppy the next.
Capitalizing and commenting on the frenzy of Fashion Week in New York and challenging the pressure to conform to the retail approach, The Imitation of Christ Retail Store migrated to different, strategic locations in the City (mapped by designer Eric Anderson), sold just one item each day to the first buyer, and closed as soon as the item was sold. Ephemeral in spirit, location, and operating hours, the nomadic store suggested the arbitrary whims of the fashion world. After its New York debut, the store packed up and opened in Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tokyo.