About MCM (Modern Creation Munich)

MCM (at this point) is arguably a cult designer brand. It can be difficult to get a full understanding of what the brand is like, so here are my learnings:

The Basics about MCM
Get your MCM 101 at the brand's wiki page. TLDR: The brand launched in the 70s, failed in the 90s, was bought by a Korean (Kim Sung Joo) in 2005, relaunched in 2006 with RAIN as its spokesperson.

The Lady Who Revived MCM

What MCM looks like
Monograms and patterns rule this house. 80% of their products are all about the logo. Else it's the studs. They work very hard at looking good though: Check out their Instagram. I think it looks at best, it looks like KENZO, at worst it looks like BONIA.

What MCM feels like
Despite having a store in Hong Kong's Entertainment Building (situated at a busy intersection in Hong Kong's traditional CBD area), you'd be hard pressed to find Western-influenced people toting an MCM. Most of its fans are either influenced by East Asian pop culture. The brand also seems China focused - probably a strategic business move, but I guess on most days, I'm just not ready to align myself with 富二代 Chinese teens. 

Welcome to MCM's flagship (Pic from mylifestylenews)

Who carries MCM
Well I've only ever encountered Mainland Chinese TEENS (!!!!!!) in all their stores, accompanied by their reluctant parents (haha). Meanwhile, in the English speaking world, the forummers don't get it, and seem to think it is overpriced.

That said, the people whom I know to personally love MCM are all working professionals with a sense of style themselves. So - my take: Style Connoisseurs (They go for the studs) and Chinese Logo Loving Teens (they go for the logo)

Where you'll find it
Bloomingdales! Bloomies has always been a personal favourite because of their creative flair, and good curation of products. But looking at Sung-Joo Kim's professional history, am pretty sure that her past experience at Bloomingdales helped play a role in getting MCM stocked at the iconic U.S. retailer.

And Hong Kong's Entertainment Building, and of course, my dear Changi Airport. #fansofchangi yo.

According to Wikipedia, "Today, MCM products are primarily available through wholesale accounts, franchise partnerships and directly-operated stores." Well bully for you if you manage to shop at directly operated stores, as one would imagine the experience to be the product of a more stringent process. As an avid MCM fan, I found the team at Changi Airport's franchise outlet quite lacking in product knowledge and service quality. Their outlet was managed by Nuance-Watson (yes the folks who got ousted by Shilla Duty Free), and in each of my encounters with them, they gave me different product information.