Peddling a universally-accepted online marketplace for independent fashion boutiques clearly isn’t enough for farfetch.com, who are collaborating with Record Store Day to host an inspired new project called The Playlist. For this, a collection of rare and exclusive records are available to buy from the site from today. All items have been put forward by one of six independent record stores from around the world – participating cities include Amoeba (Los Angeles), Dusty Groove (Chicago), BM Soho (London), Fargo (Paris), Avalanche (Edinburgh) and Rise (Bristol). We spoke to CMO of farfetch.com, Paul Brine, about the project, and premier a film they made about south London shoegazers, S.C.U.M. as part of its launch.
Tell us about The Playlist.
We approached quite a few record stores in different places around the world, often in places where we’ve already got boutiques, and asked if they’d want to be part of this one off project where we allow them to sell through farfetch.com. We now have six stores who have each created a little edit of their favourite, rare and exclusive pieces, which we’re selling through the site for the next three months.
You’ve chosen record stores from all over the world – are you hoping for a something of a cultural exchange?
Yeah, I think that’s part of it really. Obviously these record stores, it’s the same as the fashion boutiques that we work with, are used to dealing with local customers and day-to-day local people that have always come to their shop. So now we’re offering them a much more international audience. We sell fashion to around 105 countries – we have customers in all those places. So this offers them that international exposure that they probably don’t get in their locality.
Can you tell us about some of the exclusive products that will be offered?
Admittedly it’s quite an old one, but there’s an 18-track vinyl sampler that Bruce Springsteen recorded back in the 80s. It’s used, but Amoeba were able to get their hands on it. There’s a real variety, some real up and coming stuff. Some have been recorded in store – Ellie Goulding recorded something in Amoeba, and they’ve created a record from that. So there’s really exclusive stuff. There’s a lot of vinyl on offer too. For example, there’s a record by John Swing, who’s a house DJ from the 80s – it’s a white label and Black Market have only just been able to get their hands on it again. A lot of the record stores that we spoke to are saying that vinyl’s suddenly becoming really popular again. Which I guess is similar to the way that people buy vintage fashion.
Why did you want to get involved with Record Store Day?
We decided to approach independent record stores as they have that same kind of spirit of entrepreneurship and independence that you find in fashion. They’re also struggling a bit these days in the way that independent fashion boutiques are. So it’s us showing our support for the little guys.
What can you tell us about the video that’s launching alongside The Playlist?
We wanted to bring the whole thing to life really. So we thought it might be nice to make some films and work with up and coming artists. We really hit it off with a band called S.C.U.M. They loved this place where they had recorded their first album – a recording studio out in an old farm and mill in Hampshire, called Earth Terminal studios. So we took them out there. They hand picked items of clothing from our site for the video and chose some really interesting things – some from up and coming designers who you wouldn’t instantly think of. It all felt really natural.
Words: Tom Shepherd