Hey, tell us a little information about yourself. Who are you and where are you from.
The owner Ibrahima Diallo (30) is originally from Guinea West Africa living in Zurich since 1998. Married since 2001 to Nina Diallo (26), having a little son of 3.
What is life like up in Switzerland, as far as music, fashion, and popular culture.
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland, people traveling to Zurich to visit clubs, fashion shows, art exhibitions, etc. Hip-Hop, Electro, House and at the time all mixed, that’s what people looking for….of course fashion is very important It’s a way to express the way of life and clubbing means comparing outfits with the others…even you are not up to that, it does happen automatically…Once a style or trend is discovered, everybody is following it…As store owners we would describe the Swiss people reserved and not very open to break the style with a new trend. It takes very long to make trends be understood over here. Of course people do watch MTV but the most clips are very late in…so compared with our fam in Brooklyn, etc we can say if it is something hot in the states it takes almost a year to call it hot over here….they are not ready to understand it before….
The American market has still a big influence in music and fashion….
Zurich isn’t the biggest place, so we have a few customers like DJ’s, artists, and open-minded people, they appreciate to have something unique, something new, something special, so that’s where we are trying to be focused….
Tell us a little about Diallo The Store and the people involved.
Diallo The Store is a family-run business since 2005, located in the centre of the city…10 minutes from the Zurich main station -15 minutes from the Zurich airport. We are open Monday – Saturday. My husband and I do job sharing; everything is in our own strategy, management, etc. We work with the city and train 4 young boys to get diplomas as assistants. They work and go to school, which is really fun and gives them a lot of experience. They are between the ages of 15 and 20 years old…so we are total 6 people….
What kind of brands does Diallo The Store carry?
As a family business we are not able to have the mass but something for the mass. So we do care about having brands, trends, and styles which you won’t find in Zurich or Switzerland. For example, we are the official RMC Account: www.rmcjeans.co.uk. We do just have 1-3 pieces and the next stuff is coming in…so we are not a fix…this is the hole style what should be always a step forward to the Swiss market……we love to work with national or international upcoming brands is easy to make them understand the Swiss market and our philosophy….all we guarantee is originality and quality….so Diallo The Store is about a unique selection of style and at the end of brands.
What are some of your favourite brands out right now?
It’s all about the mix; people love the Kanye West, Pharrell Williams N.E.R.D. style…colourful, crazy, and not to baggy.
What new upcoming events or releases are you currently working on?
We will stay loyal to our strategy, even it takes longer to sell something but if you have sold something the customer will be coming back!
Sharing minds, and being open to projects…we once had a fashion show in a club. We would love to do that again in the future. The rest is word-of-mouth propaganda talking with people wearing the stuff on the streets….and keep going on!
What would you say are the most difficult aspects or being in your line of work?
To make people moving for something new and unique! To make people wear something which is not the norm to the masses! To make people understand the stuff you got!
The fashion and music worlds are often tied together…What music artists out right now are grabbing your attention?
The most showed love comes from the States and France, because they understand what we got! The rest are national DJ’s, national artists…like Stress, Afura, etc…club owners, producers – people who are not shy to watch over the boundary! Check our Facebook friends!
Diallo The Store
Schoffelgasse 6,
8001 Zurich,
Switzerland
Tel: +41-43-268-9374
http://www.myspace.com/diallothestore
