Art Basel Branches into the Lifestyle Sector with New Retail Shop Concept

Art Basel will launch of a concept retail store, called the Art Basel Shop, during its Swiss fair next week.

The store, which marks the brand’s first push into the retail/lifestyle sector, will feature exclusive and special edition collectibles, clothing, design pieces, and published works curated by Sarah Andelman, founder of the Parisian concept store Colette. The store will be open to both visitors to the fair and the general public starting on June 11; the fair begins its VIP previews on June 10.

Andelman has built a reputation for her novel approach to retail and her recent collaborations with the French luxury perfume house Diptyque and another LVMH-owned brand, the French department store Le Bon Marche.

In a press release Art Basel’s chief growth officer Hayler Romer said that the brand’s audience “has a strong desire for products that bottle and preserve the unique experience of being at Art Basel long after the show closes” and noted that the Art Basel Store “is fully aligned” with the brand’s vision to engage its audience and “deliver more value to galleries, artists, and cultural partners.”

The store could be seen as the first step in broadening Art Basel’s appeal across the art and luxury sectors and a clever move from Romer, who joined Art Basel in last September. Romer came to the fair company after serving as publisher and chief revenue officer of Atlantic Media, where she was initially hired as the head of luxury advertising; she had previously worked at Forbes Media as head of luxury advertising and media giant Condé Nast as executive director of corporate sales.

Among the items available at the shop will be range of memorabilia and apparel under the brand name AB by Art Basel, a string of products in collaboration with artists from Christine Sun Kim, a wooden replica of the Jean-Michel Basquiat Ferris Wheel at the Luna Luna theme park, and solo, diptych, or triptych skateboard decks decorated with designs by Cindy Sherman.