Immersive, hybrid-use pop-ups, an experiential cannabis shop, sustainability-led interior and a Gen Z-oriented concept all made it to our Top 5 list of retail spaces this year.

Photos: Wen Studio

1. B+TUBE CHANGSHA FLAGSHIP

Storeage

Storeage – a Dutch retail design agency based in Shanghai – collaborated with skincare and cosmetics company B+Tube to create the brand’s first flagship. The designers devised the shopping experience to work in line with the buying behaviour of Zoomers: the 218-sq-m interior provides ample room for teens to create social media as they shop, something which helps facilitate online to offline consumption. Iridescent perforated steel, used to build a central cathedral-like structure, is the star material of the Insta-friendly space.

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2. SCARLET FIRE CANNABIS

SevenPoint Interiors

The cannabis-retail specialists at SevenPoint Interiors designed a Grateful Dead-themed store for Scarlet Fire Cannabis Co. in Toronto. Taking cues from the legendary band’s ‘ability to create a one-of-a-kind psychedelic experience’, the designers view the space as a portal to an altered state of consciousness. There are multiple custom spatial features referencing the Dead Head universe, including a ‘Wall of Sound’ based on the band’s massive touring sound system.

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3. ACE & TATE LONDON

New Tendency

With its fifth London store, Ace & Tate unveiled its ready-to-assemble ‘Responsible Retail Design’ store concept – one influenced by the process of imagining the post-pandemic future of retail. A collaboration with Berlin-based studio New Tendency, the interior advances Ace & Tate’s goal to become carbon neutral by 2030. Circular building materials, standardized furniture and the prefabrication of components all factor into the Marylebone space.

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4. BOTTEGA VENETA SEOUL POP-UP

Random Studio

For the launch of Bottega Veneta’s AW20 collection in Seoul, Random Studio developed a spatial listening experience inspired by the neighbouring Hyundai Card Music Library. The team erected a reflective, inflatable box structure, installing 24 loudspeakers in differing sizes. Inside the sonic environment, ambient sounds were played layered with one another, from snippets of hustling metropolitan life to the crash of waves on the seaside. It ran in parallel to an adjacent retail pop-up.

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Photos: Valentin Fougeray

5. NIKE DUNK LEMON BY SNS PARIS

Paf Atelier

Footwear brand SNS Paris collaborated with creative agency Yard to put a pop-up store and restaurant in motion – it celebrated the release of the Nike model Dunk Low in ‘Lemon’. The unmissable façade that Paf Atelier created for the Paris event adopted the same key colour as the sneakers on launch: lemon yellow. The designers wanted the installation to work in ‘impactful opposition’ to the urban environment.

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