ARC opens its first Cape Town store at the V&A Waterfront

ARC opens its first Cape Town store at the V&A Waterfront 1

Cape Town girls, rejoice! This week, luxury beauty destination ARC proudly swung open the doors to their second official store – this time, at the V&A Waterfront. The dedicated beauty store is filled with the best in luxury makeup, skincare and an area dedicated to special fragrance collections.

The store is floor to ceiling filled with over 80 global and local brands, including fan favourites CHANEL, La Mer, Dermalogica, Benefit and Guerlain, as well as Skoon, LeLive and Skin Creamery. What we’re most excited about is their growing list of exclusive brands. ARC recently launched the most-followed beauty brand in the world; HUDA BEAUTY, Wishful Skincare and Kayali fragrances into the country as the official stockist, and we’ve been informed that more exclusive launches will follow in 2022. Look out for cult-followed favourites like Foreo, Beauty Blender and the collectible Atelier Versace and Van Cleef & Arpels collections.

ARC opens its first Cape Town store at the V&A Waterfront 2

“As a brand created to democratise beauty, we are thrilled to bring ARC and the world’s best luxury brands to Cape Town. We’re offering our community a truly unique experience and a world of beauty that is demystified, accessible, available, and inclusive. ARC is a first of its kind, and as we continue to expand, we hope that you’ll immerse yourself in our modern, energy-fuelled and beautifully-designed store and join us for the incredible interactive experiences,” says Marketing Executive, Kelly Fung.

So what can you expect? The store takes the old-school beauty counter approach and turns it on its head. While you won’t see your typical beauty consultant from the department store era, they are offering exceptional service and expertise from their team of Architects, including makeup artists, skin specialists, and fragrance consultants, who are on hand to help you, if you want, as an added support to their self-service approach.

ARC opens its first Cape Town store at the V&A Waterfront 3

Customers can look forward to dedicated areas within the space for all their self-care needs. Browse the extensive collection of skincare products in The Sanctuary, which offers a welcoming space for guests to find and develop their unique skincare routine, book a Dermalogica face mapping session for an accurate skincare analysis, or enjoy a treatment in the privacy of The Pod. Get creative at The Lab, an interactive space for testing newly-launched products, expert-hosted masterclasses or perfecting your new look.

ARC opens its first Cape Town store at the V&A Waterfront 4

After launching its e-commerce store in April 2021, the brand continues to stay ahead of the curve, kickstarting its sustainability mission Doing Beauty Better, to achieve an ambitious goal of net zero. ARC takes a different approach to packaging; rather than requesting customers purchase shopper bags, they’re donating R5 to local environmental organisation, Greenpop, on the customer’s behalf, when they don’t take one of ARC’s locally-made, 100% recycled and reusable bags.

ARC opens its first Cape Town store at the V&A Waterfront 5

What our editor says:
I’ve been excited about this store launch for the longest time, as I really feel that there is a major gap in the SA market for a beauty concept store like this. I arrived at the store on opening day, not really sure what to expect, but whatever image I had in mind, it was totally exceeded.

I was like a kid in a candy store, surrounded by all my favourite beauty brands, displayed in the most incredible way. Unlike most other stores, where each brand has a counter and dedicated sales team, ARC has “architects”; men and women who are highly trained in skincare, makeup and fragrance, who are able to assist you when shopping any of the brands in the store.

ARC reminded me of international beauty stores like Sephora, but despite having a European-feel, there is still something distinctly local about it. The staff are friendly, welcoming, and most importantly – knowledgeable. There are few things I hate more than someone trying to sell me something, when they know nothing about the product themselves.

The store is easy to navigate and it houses the most incredible variety of beauty brands. You’ll find iconic brands like CHANEL and Guerlain, alongside cult favourites like HUDA BEAUTY and Benefit, and local heroes like Skin Creamery. The selection of fragrances and gift sets is unlike anything I have ever seen.

This is my new favourite store, and without a doubt, it’ll be yours too.
– Anien, Editor

Not in Cape Town? ARC also has a store in Sandton City, and will soon be opening in Menlyn Park and Tygervalley. Alternatively, shop online at https://www.arcstore.co.za/.

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