Dalziel and Pow's latest review of stores we love from around the world. This month's selection includes Toms, Dior, Viu, Ted Baker and Little Shoes.
From stellar luxury retail architecture to a quirky digital addition to the high street, this month’s instalment of inspirational store openings touches down in five different countries around the world. Take a look at our pick…
A brand that has gained a strong following throughout its native country of Japan has opened its latest boutique in Tokyo’s quirky, high-end Daikanyama district. The new Cabane de Zucca store occupies the ground floor corner in one of the city’s many mini-malls.
What we love:
The industrial store aesthetic makes use of the concrete shell, adding warmth through wooden shelves and boxes. Chromate-treated steel units and a large floor to ceiling frame break up the space, while showcasing the distinctly Japanese trendy clothing offer.
Celebrating 25 years since opening its first store in Covent Garden London, the iconic British brand Ted Baker has just opened its first digital concept store in Shoreditch. Inside customers can purchase stylish lifestyle items – everything from eyewear to bicycles, handpicked by ‘Ted’ himself – and book an appointment at the men’s ‘Grooming Room’ or women’s ‘Beauty Spot’, all while sipping coffee from the Everbean coffee counter.
What we love:
The digital layer of this lifestyle concept store. Exterior screens entice passing customers to engage in games and watch films, while winking indoor displays and 3D projections enhance the shopping experience. High-res panoramic photography software allows customers worldwide to explore the space online, interacting with the store’s surroundings, and purchase goods.
Purchasing eyewear has been revolutionised in recent years by the likes of Warby Parker, Ace & Tate and Swiss-based label VIU, who offer stylish frames at affordable prices. Already a successful online retailer offering a free try-on-at-home service, VIU is expanding its physical retail presence, starting with a store in Munich in neighbouring Germany, followed by Berlin in July.
What we love:
Grid-engraved wooden wall panels display the latest eyewear offer against the white painted exposed brick walls and a polished concrete floor. Lighting is key to creating a calm, sophisticated environment, executed with suspended spotlights, two brass pendant lamps and expansive windows.
Opening with a mesmerising in-store exhibition on June 20th, House of Dior is the luxury brand’s biggest flagship in Asia to date. Each of its six floors is dedicated to specific product categories such as handbags and accessories, jewellery and watches, and the café on the fifth floor hosts France’s ‘Picasso of pastry’ Pierre Hermé.
What we love:
Florals are a dominant theme in many Dior designs, so it seems fitting that the curvaceous white exterior is reminiscent of oversized petals delicately wrapping the tall building. We have previously spoken about brands owning architecture, creating a more impactful experience on customers hungry for an immersive retail experience – this has certainly been achieved with the House of Dior in Seoul.
Inspired by children’s school notebooks, Little Shoes in Barcelona uses a continuous ceramic tile pattern for the walls, floor, and ceiling. The 5 x 5cm, 10 x 10cm and 20 x 20cm dimensions of the pattern flow consistently at each corner of the rectangular and cubed shelves carved out from the walls.
What we love:
The simplicity of the design alongside the pastel coloured palette puts a playful twist on what can often be a laborious task of finding shoes for young children.
Charitable footwear company Toms has opened its first store in London. Located just off Carnaby Street, it manifests exactly what Toms calls their community charitable footwear company: a hybrid retail and community space with a café, free wifi, performance space and somewhere to meet like-minded people while recharging your devices in the heart of London.
What we love:
Philanthropic brands are capturing the minds of consumers, allowing them to align their values and have a positive impact. Toms ‘giving stories’ are shared throughout the space on iPads, with the aim of customers leaving with more than a new pair of shoes. “We want them to be inspired” says founder Blake Mycoskie.
