Urban Decay is Coming to Fashion Island

Urban Decay cosmetics

Urban Decay cosmetics

Newport Beach-based Urban Decay cosmetics is keeping things close to home with its very first retail concept. The brand, which is beloved by beauty fanatics because of its rich pigment, innovative formulas and approachable products has chosen Orange County’s Fashion Island as the location for its very first store, set to open in November.

The 1,000 square foot shop will be located near Macy’s (in the former Inglot space) and feature the full line of products from the brand, which is similar to what you’ll find at your local Sephora or Macy’s location. But the brand is giving shoppers a reason to come to the store, too, by making it a destination for true Urban Decay junkies. The store will feature six makeup stations, an ornate chandelier, a bathroom plastered in images of Urban Decay’s employee’s dogs and exclusive shades of its eye shadows and complexion products that you won’t find at other retailers. What else is included? A smattering of lifestyle goods, including headphones, bags, t-shirts, mugs and even a coffee bar to accompany the makeup and beauty accessories.

Urban Decay’s Chief Creative Officer and founding partner (and let’s not forget O.C. native) Wende Zomnir stated that she’d long considered retail for her brand, but expansion with wholesale partners such as Sephora and Ulta left her too busy. But with the coming international expansion that the brand is about to embark on, she decided to try a freestanding store. And in a genius move, the new store will be outfitted with a man cave, where guys can relax, charge their phones and kick back while gals get glammed up for a trip into the store’s photo booth.

“It really felt like the right time,” Zomnir told WWD. “It makes sense for us to understand what the freestanding model would look like as we expand internationally.”

Following the same business model as Kiehl’s, which is owned by Urban Decay’s parent company L’Oreal, Urban Decay’s Fashion Island boutique be just the first of many locations. Internationally, Urban Decay is more of a department store brand, in contrast to the United States, where Americans are more accustomed to seeing the line at their local Ultas and Sephora locations. The Fashion Island store

“An Urban Decay freestanding store to me isn’t a mall store. It should be more of a freestanding store, but, as you know in Southern California, it’s really hard to get foot traffic in anything that is not in a shopping mall,” says Zomnir. “So, Fashion Island fit the bill in so many ways.”

Images courtesy Urban Decay

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Author:Christopher Luu for Fashion Trends Daily

Christopher Luu is a Fashion Trends Daily Senior Writer and Menswear Editor.