Initial drafting

I will incorporate a grid arrangement into the space using a joinery system which locks the installation in place. These sketches also explore ideas regarding natural and artificial lighting - the use of skylights  to effectively allow sunlight  inside which will evidently cast intricate shadows on surrounding surfaces. I might also consider researching other lighting sources to connect to the structure and to illuminate the product.

Experimenting with lighting

Quick fire models and sketches: intertwining and structure

I produced a selection of geometric and structural models. I thought that having a grid arrangement would make the space more organised and systematic - a neat, clean layout prevents clutter and allows for customers to easily move through the space. I used other materials to explore these intertwining grid forms.

Precedent work: grid arrangement

I decided to explore this intertwining theme from a new perspective; steering away from the curvaceous form and instead looking at grids and geometric structures. I am interested in how these precedent works use the line formations to direct people through the space, how the installations are functional, the way in which the designers have incorporated lighting to illuminate the product or a space, and the idea that other objects can be integrated or connected to these works.

     http://www.dezeen.com/2012/10/15/bianco-nero-boutique-by-nico-architects/

Garments and accessories are sparingly displayed in a three-dimensional grid of white steel cubes at this boutique in Osaka by NI&Co. Architects. Named Bianco Nero, which translates as 'Black White', the shop has a monochrome colour scheme to complement the selection of clothing on show. Some of the metal cubes contain glass shelves for hats and bags, while items of clothing hang from the horizontal elements. Gaps in the grid create frames for larger items, as well as doorways for shoppers to wander through. The installation is the only shelving within the space, giving it the look of a temporary shop, but designer Nina Funahashi says that she has created "a sustainable and changeable design that can be used for a long period."

     http://www.dezeen.com/2011/08/22/zuo-corp-by-super-super-and-insideoutside/

Polish architects Super Super and Inside/Outside collaborated to design the temporary pavilion inside a mobile office container for clothing retailer Zuo Corp. Mirrors lining the ceilings and walls of a tiny pop-up clothing shop in Warsaw create the illusion of endless rails of garments. Lengths of LED lighting surrounding the edges of the walls are reflected in the mirrors and appear to be part of an infinite illuminated grid. To one side of the sales floor are a storage cupboard and dressing room, which ironically has no mirrors inside at all.

     http://www.yellowtrace.com.au/alexander-wang-flagship-soho-new-york/

Alexander Wang's concept for his flagship store in Soho New York was developed in collaboration with friend and interior designer, Ryan Korban. They worked with architects from Kramer Design to realise the store’s design. True to form, the interior is immaculately beautiful. Minimalist with a tendency toward monochrome, the interior reflects the aesthetic of his label. The piece-de-resistance of the Soho interior is a giant black cage which accommodates a series of rotating installations. The cage is a striking piece of sculpture in itself. Lengths of slender black steel form a gridded, secondary enclosure within the store. The cage sits near the front window but is a space for shoppers to interact with rather than a separate, no-go display space. Each season, the cage sees a new intervention, changing the energy of the interior each time. The quality of the space shifts from being soft and romantic, wildly energetic, formal and structured, playful, haunting and so on. Each of the rotating installations is thoughtful and inventive, with a clear intention of how it relates to the collection, how it transforms the shopper’s experience of the space and how the objects within the space are understood. It’s a progressive example of how visual merchandising can become an art form.

Drafting

Integrating the wire models into the space. These sketches show my exploration of:

- Layout and space planning.

- Functional aspect of the structure (clothing rack and shelving).

- Movement and flow of installation (to be used as a guide or navigation).

- How lighting can be incorporated into the space.

- Combining a virtual space with a physical space.

Experimenting with lighting

Quick fire models and sketches: intertwining

From the previous quick fire exercise, I decided to replicate and develop one of the models using a different material. I experimented with wire because I found it easier to move and hold form. I continued to use wire in the following models as it was an effective material associated with intertwining.

Androgynous fashion

     http://www.fashionising.com/trends/b--androgyny-androgynous-fashion-22284.html

Androgyny has always been a source of interest and intrigue. But as society's boundaries have changed, so too have the masculine-feminine boundaries blurred. From ambiguous sexual and physical attributes evolving to a more relaxed stance on gender-blurring fashion, we look at the changing face of androgyny - and how women's fashion is taking a masculine turn for spring.

     http://buffalorising.com/2011/08/fashion-maniac/

During the ‘counter-culture’ revolution in the 1960s, the music and fashion industries inspired a trend towards self-exploration emphasising individual freedom and self-realisation. This allowed men and women to start self-defining who and what they were, the evidence being men and women basically wearing the same clothes and hairstyles; and men, more than ever, adapting what was traditionally women’s wear. This is best seen with both men and women in tight, low-slung denim, tight, body-forming tops and headbands, jewelry and other accessories taking on a non gender-specific role. 

The fashion industry capitalised on the growing social affinity to androgyny. Fashion’s borderline androgyny trend showed up in dresses, full-length skirts, and heeled boots for men on the runway and on the streets, especially in fashion-forward places like New York’s downtown neighborhoods. While women began adopting menswear into their wardrobes as early in the 20th century, it is fair to say that men have only recently begun experimenting with adapting women’s clothing for their use. This modern movement has nothing to do with free love, and everything to do with the fashion-forward freedom to blur traditional gender lines in expressing one’s personal style. Still somewhat controversial, the trend of androgynous fashion is sparked the creativity of apparel designers, fashion-loving tastemakers, and style icons alike.

     http://thisisstory.com/our-story/

I explored various words or titles associated with the androgynous style. This could be beneficial when it comes to changing, rearranging, categorising, or theming the retail store. STORY is a major influence in that "every four to eight weeks, the space completely reinvents itself – from merchandise and store design to floor plan and fixtures – to bring to light a new theme, trend, or issue." I want to incorporate this notion of change into my store, however still retain certain design elements and features in the space. 

- Sexualised masculinity
- Effortless tomboy
- Boyish sporty luxe
- Relaxed layering
- Oversized everything
- Minimal and masculine

- Black and white

- Sleep walker

- Seamless 60's

- Slouch

- Slick and sophisticated

Precedent work: Lighting

     1. Fashion Retail - Eleanor Curtis and Howard Watson

     2. Fashion Decor - Wang Shaoqiang

In these books, many of the spaces use artificial lighting to open up and lighten the area. This is an effective method to enliven and draw attention to certain products or spaces within the shop. These precedent works use light behind the lowered ceiling, inside the walls or under shelving units to illuminate these zones. I noticed that the designers have also incorporated detailed installation pieces that allow for light to travel through and cast intricate shadows on surrounding surfaces - an effective idea to explore in my own retail shop.