THE BRIEF
The Studio 2 brief asked to bring Christian Louboutin, an iconic brand, into the Burlington Arcade and create a retail experience that empathise with the devotee, the customer. To create a journey of desire, escape and delight by investigating the brand, cultural and historic reference, the con-
temporary and indeed the unexpected, the extraordinary and the avant garde. The experience is key to commercial success, hence it is crucial to find ways to engage, connect and belong in order to create an exciting and imaginative destination.
LOCATION
The Burlington Arcade is located in the heart of West End, in the Royal Borough of Westminster. There are two entrances to the Arcade, the Piccadilly and Burlington Gardens. The area reflects the true spirit of London, with its theatres, shopping destinations and government buildings. The immediate surround-
ing, Dover Street, New Bond Street and Saville Row are notable for luxury shopping, with its rich history going back to the 18th Century. It is a prime example of strong heritage values and attention to detail. Saville Row, principally known for its traditional, bespoke tailors still brings crowds of modern Dandies who
value fine craftsmanship as much as gentlemen of the turn of the century used to.
THE SITE
The site is located at the north-west side of the Burlington Arcade , facing the quiet Burlington Gardens as opposed to the busy Piccadilly side Entrance. The corner NPeal shop comprises four shop units , that have been joined together.
MAPPING
The mapping of the area will focus on shopping experience in one of world’s most popular tourist and shopping destinations. The purpose of this exercise is to find out what kind of experience is already offered and how that could be enhanced and added to already extensive range of brands. It will also try to find connections between the brand and the location of the site. It is crucial to establish what kind of shoppers come to Burlington Arcade and why. How do they relate to the brand and what oth-
er type of customer could the brand bring into the Arcade. The location and its heritage has to be considered in order to create a space that corresponds to tradition and embraces the flamboyant nature of Christian Louboutin designs. There are five Christian Louboutin boutiques in London and all of them are located within the West End area of London. That says a lot about the brand and who their target group is. City of Westminster is one of the most visited parts of England and Europe as a whole. It
brings millions of tourists, who spend a substantial amount of money in the capital. London is on the map of the most influential fashion capitals in Europe and events such as the London Fashion Week bring crowds of fashionistas, models and buyers each year. The brands presence in this particular area is not a coincidence. Another target group are wealthy women, who live in the capital. City of Westminster is the wealthiest borough in London. The existing boutiques offer a wide range of products,
from shoes to purses and accessories for both men and women. There is however one experience that had not yet been offered in any of the mentioned above and that is a personalised service, with custom made designs, that could be personalised and made special for the customer. That could be an interesting start of a concept, especially taking under consideration the tradition of one of pieces that the immediate surrounding of the Arcade and the Arcade is famous for. The competitors are
high end retailers, offering the highest quality goods and services. The experience has to be different from what it already is.The previous research into the brand shows that the designer does not believe mixing both men and women products is a good idea. There has to be a decision made on the type of product the project will focus on The shopping experience in and around the Burlington Arcade, with a few exceptions is an experience that not many can afford. It is very exclusive and luxurious with brands such
as Rolex and Chanel to name just a few. Saville Row is a number one destination for a modern Dandy, where the tailored made men suits had been successfully sold since the 18th Century. Brands value that particular location a lot and it is a statement to have presence amongst worlds leading brands. What becomes apparent at this stage is the fact that hand made, bespoke goods with big emphasis on hand-crafted items are synonymous to the location and that is a starting point to the project.
RHYTHM AND STRUCTURE
The Arcade has a rhythm to it and the the basic pattern of plan and elevation, along one side of the passage, can be described, as follows (pic.1), one letter equalling one bay as defined by the arches (sixteen in total) and hyphens representing enriched arches. ’A’ represents a double shop, with small display window flanked by doors and by larger dis play windows, and one storey visible above where one plain window is flanked by two bay windows. ‘B’ represents two small-
er, separate shops, or single shops, with one visible storey above them, where two plain windows are between two bay windows. ’C’ is a heightened version of ‘A’ and takes the place of the ‘inter-shop’ spaces that were proposed at earlier stage. The three-storey fronts are set back from the building line. ‘D’ represents one single shop plus one double shop splayed back from the street entrance. The width of the passage is constant, some 3650mm. Burlington Arcade is the longest of all Lon-
don shopping Arcades. Tunnel-like monotony is avoided by recurrent variations in height and width and by the division of the length into bays by series of arches. A tent-like ceiling,set with glazed rooflights and varying in height, is broken by the receding arches along a characteristically ‘Regency’ vista. The material used throughout the first level is London brick and stuccoed for arches and and pilasters . Ware’s prospectus from 1817 stated that ‘the Skylights are intended to rest on open Ironwork’, which was a
gesture toward the new world of iron and glass. In section, the two-storey ranges were built as proposed in 1815 with basements, ground floor shops, first floor living quarters(or first floor shops), and attics in the mansard roof above the level of the Arcade skylights. Ware’s first floor is a full storey, not a mezzanine as in the Royal Opera Arcade. At first he suggested alternative treatments of the downward slope of the ground from north to south (a difference of nine feet), one following the declivity as now, the other with
three sets of steps: at Piccadilly, before the first range of shops, and halfway along the Arcade. In 1817 Ware proposed placing all the steps halfway along the passage, the the ‘Middle Saloon’, but steps clearly would have impeded profitable sauntering. Another popular material used on all ground level shop fronts was mahogany wood. That had changed throughout the years but the mentioned original shop unit No.54 still features that kind of shop front, which may suggest they were all uniform.
The sketches show the structure of the existing building and the floor plate section.
CONCEPT
The concept takes into consideration the location and the brand and tries to find connections between the two by layering the history and heritage of Burlington Arcade with the extravagant materials and details of the shoes and accessories. The design of the shop will try to bring historical detail of the location and display the prod-
ucts in a way that reflects the brand and its identity. It will take the inspiration from existing colours, materials and forms and create a contrast between the interior and merchandise. The experience offered in the store will be a personalised service, where the client will be able to participate in the creation process and have their
shoes or bags customised. That corresponds to the spirit of the Arcade, the shopping experience offered and that is what the Arcade’s customer is likely to expect. The brand already offers bespoke and tailor made products but not in the United Kingdom. Considering, there are five other boutiques in London, the experience offered
would differ significantly and bring many more clients.
PATTERN
The pattern was created by repeating the trademark of the brand. It is one of the most recognisable trademarks and the use of it across the shop will enhance the experience and make the interior unique to the location. The use of brass corresponds to reflective nature of the materials used in Christian Louboutin
designs. It would add a layer of luxury to the interior. The designer likes to reuse colours and textures of his shoes in the interior of his boutiques, which is very apparent and confirmed in one of his interviews. He often matches the colour of the nail polish to the colour of the heel or a bag.
DISPLAY
The window display was inspired by the forms found in the design of the nail polish bottle and spikes used in many of Christian Louboutin designs. They allow for the display to be updated as often as needed.
SHOP FRONT
The shop front is the first point of contact with the client. The red door is the only entrance to the shop and it is located at the entrance to the Arcade to make sure the clients complete their journey throughout the shop floor.
USE OF SPACE
When the Arcade first opened its doors in 1819, many of the shop owners used their space not only to sell their goods and services to the public but they often lived there as well. The way the space was usually divided, was to use the ground floor as the main retail space. The first floor was either a secondary retail space
of living quarters for the whole family. The top floor mansard had also been private space, where the shop owners used to live or had workshops, where the bespoke items had been made. The basement was used for storage and deliveries, through the tunnel under the Arcade, where the goods were often picked up by the staff
employed by wealthy customers and aristocrats. There was a clear division between public and private from the beginning. It would be an interesting idea to try to use the space as its first inhabitants did. It is a way of respecting the heritage of the site while designing an experience that could be deeply rooted in its history and traditions.
SPACE PLANNING
The space planning divides the space into public and private, making a reference to the historical use of the space. The basement is used as retail space, storage, toilet and back of house. The ground floor is the main retail space. The first floor is a VIP Atelier, where the customers enjoy a personalised service
but the space can be used a secondary retail space or function room when not in use. The second floor will serve as a workshop and staff kitchen and preparation area.
CUSTOMER PROFILE
It is essential to know who the customer is in order to determine what their needs and expectations are. The two costumer profiles describe two types of experience, depending on the purpose of the visit.
Jen is a fashion bloggers and she came to London for a fashion week. She visits boutiques, fashion exhibitions and events during her stay that she posts about later on. She wants to see and photograph every part of the store.
Caroline owns a gallery in Mayfair and she is a fashion collector. It is important to her that the items she buys are like arts that she curates, unique and one of a kind. She comes to the boutique with a friend. They are both getting their feet moulds taken. They booked the room for a few hours to make sure they are
not rushed. They are being taken to one of the rooms and greeted with champaign and snacks. Their customised heels will later be delivered to their home address with a note from Christian Louboutin.
Ground Floor Section
Ground Floor Plan
Ground Floor Sketch
Ground Floor Plan
Ground Floor Precedence
Materials
Ground Floor Sketch
Ground Floor Display Unit
Ground Floor Display Unit
Ground Floor Seating Bench
Materials
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Precedence
First Floor Section
First Floor Plan
Materials
First Floor Stool
First Floor Seating Bench
Basement Section
Inspiration
Basement Floor Plan
Materials
Basement Sketch