An Irrational Element

  Stockist’s Digest | No Man Walks Alone

Since Collection 001 An Irrational Element has focused distributing its products through curated stockists worldwide. Coming from a retail background I’ve always been fascinated by retailers curating a selection of goods from multiple makers and creating their own universe by doing so. Whilst many brands and makers have their own universe it could be considered a craft to take fragments from these universes and create a whole new experience out of it. In Stockist’s Digest An Irrational Element’s retail partners will be featured through the eye of An Irrational Element. As the An Irrational Element partners are dispersed globally the format through which a retailer is highlighted may differ.

From midtown New York City the No Man Walks Alone team operate their selected online retail space which has just celebrated its 10 year anniversary and recently extended its reach to also cater to EU based shoppers through an EU webshop. No Man Walks Alone is renowned for their focus on style, highlight on makers and dedicated service to customers. Through weekly drops, video guide-throughs, special events, exclusive offerings & more they have created a comprehensive online environment for shoppers to explore and enjoy crafted goods. Since the SS23 season An Irrational Element has enjoyed the pleasure of being part of the maker’s bracket selected by No Man Walks Alone with signature styles and exclusive items released as well.

This October An Irrational Element traveled to NYC and paid a visit to the No Man Walks Alone team and showroom to put a highlight on them and their operation. The operation is located in one of the grand midtown buildings. After taking the elevator and ringing the doorbell (which plays a fine tune by the way) one walks into the showroom space where guests are hosted and videos on new online drops are filmed as seen on their Instagram page e.g. Through the growth of the company their space has extended in recent years, storage space has increased and the office has also welcomed a private space where tailored orders can be made and team meetings are hosted.

Having met a part of the No Man Walks Alone team during showroom appointments in Paris I now was able to meet the others whom subsequently showed me around their office during my visit. The strong sense of style that each of them luminate is evident. However seeing them all together there is a cohesiveness in their style as well that does clearly communicate; ‘this is the No Man Walks Alone perspective’.

It’s an example of one of the strong suits that makes No Man Walks Alone stand out as an online retailer and creating an environment conducive towards their shoppers. In their weekly drop videos the NMWA team present goods from their makers and give not only a backstory but also imprint some of their personal conceptions on these goods. This personal approach shares how the goods should or could be experienced enabling the shoppers to envision the items in a comprehensible sense. Personally I consider this approach a method to create realistic expectations towards the goods a shopper seeks to purchase through an online environment. While the shopping at No Man Walks Alone is mostly in the 2D domain (occasionally NMWA hosts physical events as well) they have managed to successfully transcend aspects of this 2D domain to ensure an elevated and more sustainable shopping experience.

During the visit the whole team was up and running due their most recent 10 year anniversary celebration which included exclusive releases made in collaboration with their makers and special online offers for their shoppers. So in the afternoon, after the office tour and shooting a couple of pictures for this feature, we went to an Italian spot named Tavola right around the corner. We ended the visit with a good chat about various topics and satisfying lunch.