#1600 Miss Crabb gives Ingrid Starnes her first taste of the retail pie

Image: Ingrid Starnes

It must be the ultimate dream of every designer to have their own store – to be able to offer their customers a complete brand experience and to control each aspect of that experience. But before they take the plunge, pop-ups are a great way to dip a toe in the water without worrisome details like 24 month leases and staff salaries. So what better way to try things out than with a store within a store? The young designer is guaranteed foot traffic and a pre-existing customer base, and the retailer benefits from a blast of youth and vitality. Everybody wins! Ponsonby Road designer/retailer Miss Crabb is doing just that for her friend, new girl on the block Ingrid Starnes. From 1 December until the end of February, Ingrid Starnes will have a store within Miss Crabb, where, for the first time, her complete Spring/Summer 2011 collection will be on offer, plus a brand new lingerie line will be debuted. According to Kristine Crabb, "I’m looking forward to adding a new dimension to the shop and most of all sharing ideas and swapping clothes!" And according to Starnes, "It’s a great opportunity to showcase the whole range together and to be able to do special runs of dresses and new summer things that we can have available just through the store." Nothing beats friends with benefits.

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