Mo Zheng & Martin Miller Design
The Red-Vicutu Store creates a balance between the dynamic and dramatic, with a clean elegance and sophistication, as inspired by the dual nature of the fashion industry and in particular the clientele of the Vicutu brand. The product to be featured in the store embodies this duality as a refined collection of active wear. Drawing upon the client’s intentions for the brand, the design of the spaces utilizes the curvilinear form to suggest and promote the active dynamism of the product, using advanced fabric simulation and 3d printing to create marquee features within the space. Subtle lighting and textural details create the final refinements within the space elevating the user experience within the in person shopping environment.
Red Vicutu Concept Store Entry Sculpture
Red Vicutu Facade Overall View
Architects: AntiStatics Architecture
Lead Architects: Mo Zheng, Martin Miller
Team: Christopher Beckett, Yasser Hafizs, Frank Feng, Luke Theodorius E. D. Santoso, Annie Liu, Chengxuan Li, Wenlin Bai, and Yue Xi
Project location: Beijing, China, at Indigo Mall
Completion Year: 2022
Designed Year：2021
Gross Built Area: 300 sqm
Photo credits: UK Studio
Photographer’s website: UK Studio
Main Contractor: Hengshui Shangde Decoration Co., Ltd
Client：RED VICUTU (Beijing Gelei Fashion Technology Co., Ltd)
3D Print Fabricator: Wenzhou zaomeng technology co., ltd
Lighting supplier: CDN Light
Using advanced fabric simulation and 3d printing to create marquee features within the space
We have created a three dimensional freeze frame of fabric in the process of flowing and draping over a static form
The over-sized scale of the threads and their expressive weaving patterns reveal a nuanced super reality in the sculpture
By creating continuity of form, lines and curves which define the retail space encourage the eye to move playfully through the store. As the eyes trace and connected the explicit and implied geometries, the visitor is taken through the collection of clothing by the fashion brand. In this way, the define specious architectural space behaves as a curator and narrator of the product by not simply presenting the products, but by arranging them in a spatial construct which encourages an immersive and engaged experience. The arcs and curves of the façade draw the exterior into the interior and culminate at featured elements of the collection. These feature points then take visitors deeper in to the store, with the geometry which defines the spaces beaconing shoppers to go deeper into the space and collection. Though dramatic, this subliminal use of geometry to cater ones experience of a brand, product and collection suggests a novel method of how we understand and design the retail space, as experience rather than presentation space.
The façade elevation with the simple arch geometry
The arcs and curves of the façade draw the exterior into the interior and culminate at featured elements of the collection
By creating continuity of form, lines and curves which define the retail space encourage the eye to move playfully through the store
The design of the spaces utilizes the curvilinear form to suggest and promote the active dynamism of the product
The interior elevation with the simple arch geometry and modular display
The continuous arch language connect from the front to the back of the store
Embodying the innovative nature of the brand and its future-minded view of the industry, we have created a series of unique sculptural elements to further entice visitors to explore the space more deeply. Using advanced computational simulations, we have created a three dimensional freeze frame of fabric in the process of flowing and draping over a static form. The over-sized scale of the threads and their expressive weaving patterns reveal a nuanced super reality in the sculpture, by creating these extra-large threads we are expressing to the observer an element of garments which is often ignored because of the fine nature of weaving fabric. The curiosity of these works draws visitors into the store for closer examination, as the simulation of the form produces a hyper-realistic result while the irregular scale of the threading declares the imagined nature of the work. Expressive works like these play an important role in the future of retail where potential clientele are seeking an ever more compelling experiential qualities in retail spaces.
Layers of the interior geometry and the Weaving fabric sculpture behind the display window
The contrast between simple curvy geometry and the dynamic art piece
The weaving art piece creates the eye catching moments in the space
The backlit perforated logo wall is at the end of the corridor
The final refinement of the spaces is in the attention to materiality and texture, as in fashion the shaping of a garment is equally as important as the selection of the cloth from which it is cut and assembled. In this space we have blended materials to create a play between the soft and hard perceptions of surface similarly to the construction of different garments. The features which display clothing, and the details embedded into the walls are analogous to the zippers, buttons and stitching that defines the final refinement of fashion. The lighting is finely tuned to best express these materials and enhance the perception of the products in the store, while creating a comfortable and exciting space to meander.
The inserted display wall
The concrete display wall and the details embedded into the walls
Details of the modular display wall
Details of the modular display wall
Layers of the display wall and the woven installation
Display wall geometry
Continuous display wall geometry
The Red-Vicutu retail space, is beyond what we expect from a conventional retail store, it stands out from its adjacent neighbors and creates a point of intrigue within the larger collection of shops. In the age of online retail, it is stores like this one which will continue to thrive, by bringing users into the space for the experience of it, if only to capture that experience through the lens of their phone, the subsequent sharing of that unique experience through online platforms is an essential way to crowd source brand awareness. This level of detail, refinement and creativity will serve to further the brand and its online presence through the in person experience, a new way of exploring what retail means in a dual world of online and physical existence.
Concept Diagram
RED VICUTU Plan layout
Special art piece location within the store as the Special experience checkpoint
Modular arch geometry within the store
Custom made 3D printed art pieces and lighting diagram
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