Everyone knows the Stones are a brand. And they know exactly how to market themselves and their merchandise. The Rolling Stones are opening a flagship store in the middle of London’s Soho, just a stone’s throw from Oxford Street Tube station. It will be a place where true fans of the band can acquire clothing, sunglasses and glassware with the quintessential Stones tongue, chairs or scarves from The Soloist brand, along with raincoats from Swedish manufacturer Stutterheim, perfect for the London autumn.
Even the address oozes pop history, having been sung about in the 1970s. Carnaby Street in Soho is still a place of pilgrimage for any fan of British music and fashion to this day. The unveiling of the building at number 9 is planned for the 9th day of the 9th month, when the street will become one attraction richer with the world’s first flagship store for the Stones, operated jointly with Universal subsidiary Bravado. To round out the matter of the nines and the marketing, the number has been transformed into a logo and eternalised on all kinds of merchandise products as “RS No. 9 Carnaby”, available soon to purchase in store. Mat Vlasic, CEO of Bravado, says that RS No. 9 Carnaby is creating “a destination where fans can come together and immerse themselves in the music, style and spirit of one of the world’s most famous and popular bands.” There will of course be no end of Stones songs to listen to and buy, with song lyrics visible on the shop’s glass floor, while the covers of the famous albums will be on view in the fitting rooms.
