We probably just found your new, favorite online store. You're welcome. But, just don't get too excited. It's not open quite yet. Bezar, a curated, online pop-up shop, is set to launch this spring. Its model is similar to those of other sales sites like One Kings Lane and Gilt. But, unlike them, it won't be about discounts — it's instead a place to find cool collaborations between larger brands and up-and-coming indie designers. And, if its Insta account is any indication, it's going to be pretty hip.
The brainchild of Fab.com founder and former CEO Bradford Shellhammer, the site will feature four sales a day of individual designers and collabs, from well-designed key rings to bikes to art prints. While the shop won't be open until March, early enthusiasts can sign up now and invite friends.
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Shellhammer describes the aesthetic as a fine line between extremely modern, clinical, and clean, and a little fun kitsch — but with color always at the core. The designers he's looking to work with will have a balance of high and low, pattern and print, matte and gloss. "What I don't like is a shopping experience that's too in-your-face or too safe. "
He's trying to address the problem of providing a platform for the huge number of undiscovered artists and designers making affordable things worldwide who just don't have exposure. "I'm sick of people going into Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie. They are beautifully arranged, but filled with things copying or borrowing from the independent designers. And, everyone else has the same things. I want more people to be able to buy those independent designers directly." Unlike sites like Etsy, which feature so many sellers, Shellhammer's site will be carefully edited for consumers.
The actual products are still under wraps, but he cites India, Chile, and South Africa as places he's been inspired by in the last year. So, unique, unexpected pieces. And, the best news is, we'll probably be able to afford it. Most items will fall under the $100 mark — furniture and lighting being obvious exceptions.
What Shellhammer is really after is collaboration. He says there is a synergy in design right now: "[Bezar] will be a place for cool kid [designers] to get noticed, and established brands get to mix with the cool kids. That's the magic." We're marking our calendars.