CO-
BRAND
VI N TA GE O P TI CA L STO R E
PHILOSOPHY
CO- is an optical flagship store that provides vintage eyewear to reflect your character and personality. A unique pair of glasses can make you stand out and be worn everyday. It promises a connection between the eyewear and the user. The eyewear will be something functional and aesthetically beautiful, enhancing you and being part of you who are.
CO-
NARRATIVE At the arrival of the space, customers imediantly see the product in front of them, eyewear hanging on mesh wire. On the left is the front desk and the right is the start of the experience with finding a vintage eyewear frame begins. The long curved mirrored walls direct the customers into the path of the circulation. Users can try on glasses, and turn around to see a full length reflection of themselves. Furthering a more intimate experience, the partition wall acts as a space divider for the product of sunglasses. Walking down the space, a lounge and focal wall display is apparent. Behind is a hidden optometry office and a manager’s office. The public and private spaces are defined by parition walls.
CONCEPT STATEMENT SYNECDOCHE- in which one part stands in for the whole; a pair of eyeglasses, one element of a person’s look, can begin to represent one’s entire image over time and become part of their persona. Unfashionable eyewear has grown to become an iconic object for image and identity: To not only be identified and recognized but to stand out. This relationship between eyewear and people, the coalescence of the two to become one has created a new culture where eyewear has become accepted, popular and even desired in this society today as a lifestyle accessory. This idea of merging will be translated into combinations of overlapping circles and arcs within the retail space. VIVIEN LI . IRN 400. FEB 15 2013 RYERSON SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN PROFESSOR DOWLING