Durban, we’ve arrived! Meet your brand-new Gateway ARC store filled from floor to ceiling with 100+ of the best global and local beauty brands, opening treats and some serious beauty spoils.
The luxury beauty destination has proudly swung open its doors opened right in the heart of Umhlanga, Durban at Gateway Mall – and just in time for Mother’s Day. The dedicated beauty store,
their fifth store and first store in KwaZulu-Natal, is an impressive 550 square metres comprised of a makeup play zone called the The Lab, a dedicated skincare sanctuary for one-on-one consultations and a fragrance library that houses all your favourite scents, even some special collections that you can only find at ARC.
Both beauty fans and newbies to the world of self-care, can expect to find world heavy weights like CHANEL, DIOR, Versace, Roberto Cavalli, Dermalogica, and Benefit or discover locally made hero
brands lelive`, Blür Beauty and Smooch. Most noteworthy, is their growing list of coveted brands that are only available at ARC; think HUDA BEAUTY, Wishful Skincare, and fragrance line Kayali
– the most-followed beauty brands on social media! Look out for cult-followed favourites like Korean-French brand Erborian, Beauty Blender and the collectible Atelier Versace and Killian
fragrance collections.
“As a brand created to democratise beauty and empower self expression, we are thrilled to bring ARC and the world’s best luxury brands to our Durban community! 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. We’re ready to welcome customers to join in on some incredible interactive experiences like masterclasses, live demonstrations and brand activations– we want you to come and play!” says Marketing Executive Kelly Fung.
ARC 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 world-class, 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 it that is. They’re also set up for a self-service approach knowing that some prefer to browse on their own. It’s all about choice. 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 if you don’t take one of their locally- made 100% recycled and reusable bags.
Bold enough to launch during COVID-19, ARC reinforces the brand’s commitment to responsibly delivering the beauty of tomorrow today. By implementing health and safety measures to make sure the store is a trusted place for customers to shop, the world continues to overcome the pandemic. To celebrate the 5th store opening, our team chose to skip their usual celebration preview party, instead their team focused their efforts on picking up the pieces of the devastating floods, with a beach clean-up. It was all about giving back to the Durban community – just one of the ways ARC are trying to make the planet a more beautiful place.
Their Story
A first of its kind in South Africa, ARC is a dedicated beauty store that brings our
community the best in luxury makeup, skincare and fragrance. Passionate about
experiences, service and over 80 of the most-coveted brands, ARC aims to be the friend
along your personal beauty and self-care journey.
ARC was founded in 2020, born from the belief that the world would be a more beautiful
place if we embraced uniqueness and celebrated individuality. The goal was ambitious, but
simple: to create a one-of-a-kind world of discovery that was more than just a beauty
destination.
It’s ARC’s mission to spark change. We’re modernizing things and it starts with you, our
customer. We believe that if you feel good, you’ll do good. Along with industry-leading
service, innovative-thinking and a deep passion for beauty, we’re kickstarting a new kind
of beauty conversation; one that demands transparency, insists upon inclusivity and
confidently throws the rule book out of the window.
www.arcstore.co.za
IG: @arcstoreofficial
FB: @ARCstoresa
TW: @ARCstore_sa