DETAILS
BRAND: GUCCI
Type: Flagship
Location: London, United Kingdom
Year: 2009
Size: 20,000 square feet / 1,862 square meters
Press: Vogue.com,
VIEWONFASHION.COM,
FabSugar UK
OVERVIEW
Originally opened in 1990, the two-level Gucci store located on London’s Sloane Street was aligned with the brand’s new retail concept in 2009. The goal was to bring in natural light, creating an inviting, sophisticated backdrop for Gucci’s collections.
Christian collaborated with Frida Giannini (Creative Director, Gucci) to create a space that blends Gucci’s traditional materiality of marble and rosewood with modern enhancements. Creating visual illusions, smoked mirror and glass were alternated to extend the perspective of the space and a free-floating staircase, framed with gold and ribbed Plexiglass rods, was designed to draw the eye, and the shopper, upwards.
THE FAÇADE
Unable to change the exterior in a significant way, the Gucci team innovatively created a wall of windows on the second level, bringing in an abundance of natural light and drawing shoppers to the larger main space. On the lower level, the façade features tone-on-tone bronze metal and fluted bronze glass with custom LED lighting, creating transparency and providing visibility into the store.
MIXED MEDIA AND MATERIALS
Continuing the use of the Gucci web striping, Sloane Street features white marble floor inlaid with a black marble strap that runs the length of the space, up the wall and across the ceiling, eventually wrapping around the opposite wall where it is punctuated by a vertical video screen – the “buckle.” A vertical video “wall” is also employed to divide the space into rooms for women’s ready-to-wear and accessories collections.