With the new My Beauty Atelier concept, we’ve created the ultimate beauty destination for South Korean brand Aritaum, a playground for inspiration and guidance.

Opened in October 2017 in Myeong-dong, Seoul, the 90sqm store presents a sense of energy, play and education. It empowers customers to become their own makeup artists with editorial displays offering ‘top 5′, ‘best sellers’ and ‘new crushes’, along with ‘how-to’ guides. The brand talks to the customer as a trusted friend, with an in-the-know voice throughout the communications and bold art direction.

The offer is structured around key categories, each featuring distinctive colour palettes and expression. Core skincare brands Iope, Laneige, Mamonde and Hanyul – created by Aritaum’s founder – have a real presence with their own dedicated bays.

An architectural shopfront features 12 metre-tall black brickwork, backed with mirror cladding and a splash of pink, creating real standout. On entering, the initial triple-height space with inspirational images and a bespoke lighting installation creates a strong statement. The store’s raw, glamorous Manhattan-inspired tone ensures an edgier and more sophisticated brand aesthetic. A focal table provides a place to play and experiment, integrating iPads that share video tips, alongside an Instagram wall with changing backdrops for selfies using the #aritaumflipcreate hashtag.

As part of the new experience vision, we created a brand stamp logo and new packaging, and redesigned the staff uniforms in the striking monochrome and pink palette.

The My Beauty Atelier concept is an exciting new direction for Aritaum. It will be applied to up to 300 stores, with the product offer tailored to each location – for instance a make-up focus in student areas or a high-end skincare focus in more mature neighbourhoods.