FROM RUNWAY TO STORE: RAINS REPURPOSES SET-DESIGN ELEMENTS FOR ITS NEW PARIS STORE
Photo Courtesy of Rains
04 apr 2022, for frame
Location
11 Rue Saint-Sulpice, 75006 Paris, France
Design, Brand
Art
Rains’ third Paris store builds upon the brand’s collaboration with artist Jacob Egeberg, who recently conceived the set design for its Paris Fashion Week AW22 show.
Key features
The new outpost is located in the fashionable Saint-Germain-des-Près district. A frameless glass entrance door separates a narrow Parisian street from the Scandinavian-cool universe. Keeping to Rains’ traditional near-colourless palette, the retail area honours the structure of the label’s weatherproof fabrics and its 'neo-Scandinavian' aesthetic.
A rock-like form with an aluminium skin is the central object of the space. Its eye-catching high-gloss finish interacts with always-changing natural light sourced from a skylight. The large-scale sculpture is also functional, punctuated by a door leading to Rains’ downstairs stockroom. One of the 200 bespoke white chairs designed for the PFW event features as a merchandising element. Other display furniture and a lamp are positioned atop a light blue carpet, a nod to the show’s 14-m-long sculpted runway tunnel.
Frame's take
Providing a contemporary reinterpretation of the classic rubber raincoat, Rains has become extremely popular in Paris because of its functionality and industrial coolness. To establish a spatial correspondence with its fashion direction, the brand is exploring the interplay between art and design and how the two worlds can enhance each other. This investigation has produced several artist collaborations. Rains’ partnership with Jacob Egeberg is based on a shared vision of contemporary visual aesthetics, and a mission to challenge what a typical retail experience can entail. The fashion-show elements being physically integrated into the new store testifies the impact of temporary fashion typologies on brands' long-term retail development.