Seen Users Flagship Store

Authors’ Comment

Seen Flagship Store in Bucharest is inspired by the Little Prince "Dessine-moi un mouton" sketch where the round holes act as some alternate windows of perception.

A Little Prince "Dessine-moi un mouton" sketch inspired space where the round holes act as some alternate windows of perception while the cubic oak frames structure the shop in sequences. The interior space is protruding through the façade as a box with perforated round holes in a stark contrast to the post-communist building. The brand explores a territory of duality, contradictions and tensions hence the space is extremely simple, just a neutral background for the exhibits to stand out. Traditional joints are the only decorative element among the otherwise pieces of functional logic and purity.

A first important step through the design process was the client’s brief: "I would like the space to seem cut out of a parallel reality, not to be in the classic pattern of a commercial space, on the contrary, to seem like you entered anywhere else but a clothing store. I explore a lot in my clothes the idea of contradiction, of tension in the product between femininity and masculinity, sport and glamour, of duality, uniform, couture and industrial."

We only used oak wood (as the brand has strong Romanian roots and oak is the quintessential Romanian material) balanced with stainless steel. The floor is resin, the same color as the walls.

The grim post-communist building seemed the least fit for purpose location for a fashion store. By reshaping the façade in such contrast to the building not only was this challenge overcome but the tensions, contrasts and spirit of the brand were showcased while definitely adding an enjoyable feature to the building and public space.

The minimalism of the design itself comes with limited use of resources while its simplicity insures a timeless quality making it less prone to quick changes due to following fast changing trends.

All the furniture, including the armchairs, sofas, and stools in the fitting rooms, was custom-designed as prototypes specifically for this project.