For traditional store-focused retailers, when the moment comes for a revamp, going back to your roots appears to make a lot of sense.

Heritage is the one definite thing that all those pesky D2C newcomers can’t compete on. They might be nimbler, savvier, fresher and funkier – but they do not have history.

And when it comes to selling products, history matters. It tells customers that, in a world where it can feel like products and brands are so disposable, you’re still here – and that has to mean something.

The problem is that everyone else has had exactly the same idea. And in fact, so have most new brands.

Visit an Aime Leon Dore or Kith store, or Harry Styles’ Pleasing pop-ups, and there’s more than a whiff of nostalgia. New brands, just like their young fans, can’t get enough of it.

The result is that stores are opening and re-opening all over the world with essentially the same design strategy.

And beyond putting a serious strain on the world’s supply of mahogany, it all looks strikingly similar – which, surely, wasn’t the plan?

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