The Store and Local Identity

The paper has been based on two observations: the first is the idea that stores are both retail and social places, the second is however, connected directly to consumer globalization, through ‘the brand’. Work has been undergone by students of the faculty of Architecture and Design of Quito UTE in Ecuador in collaboration with the faculty of Architecture of Naples University in Italy. Various fashion brands have been used to illustrate the possibility of adapting a typical store to one that integrates the social needs of the local population in Quito. The specific characteristics of these types of stores are low-cost but also reflect the local social situation, problems being various, like the maintenance of monuments, the destruction of the Amazon woods and the situation of the street craft worker. The reformation of these stores has the ability to inform consumers of not only the product but of the necessity to become involved in resolving these problems. In summary, if we consider stores to be an ideal place to advertise, the projects carried out can be used to give a cultural identity to all brands which can help illustrate the reality of the various social, and environmental problems.