BALENCIAGA'S NEW LONDON STORE IS DESIGNED TO QUESTION PRECONCEIVED IDEAS OF LUXURY

Photo Courtesy of Balenciaga

 
 

29 mar 2022, for frame

Location

24/25 New Bond St, London W1S 2RN, UK

Design, Architecture

Sub

Brand

Balenciaga

The Balenciaga store on New Bond Street in London underscores the brand’s recently launched, preservation-oriented architectural concept Raw.

Key features

The New Bond Street outpost is the fourth to adopt the Raw concept, following London Sloane Street, Berlin, and Shanghai. Designed by art director Niklas Bildstein Zaar and architect Andrea Faraguna of Berlin-based studio Sub, the scheme preserves and augments a site's existing context. On New Bond Street, a massive stainless-steel door bearing the Balenciaga logo marks the entry point of the luxury retailer’s store. The brand’s most significant European flagship, it covers three floors over 710 sq-m, offering women's and men's ready-to-wear garments, accessories and objects. 

Balenciaga’s interior is left deliberately unfinished, with uncovered fixtures and finishes, an unmodified staircase and empty elevator shaft. Stained, cracked concrete floor and wall surfaces aged with stabilized dirt and mud-like encrustations give the space a tactile feel. The brutalist raw interior contrasts with oxidized steel, polished aluminum and glass fixtures. Contemporary technological details like LED screens and lights add a modern edge complementing the collections on show. 

Frame’s take

The Raw approach introduces new means of design improvisation and experimentation at existing sites, while looking at how unstripped interiors can question preconceived notions of the luxury market customer. At the same time, the design is more sustainable, as the construction requires fewer virgin materials. 

The 1971 reinforced concrete New Bond Street building serves this architectural concept scrupulously. Heavy shelves crafted to expose Balenciaga goods to the street level define the division and rhythm of the building's new façade. As a result, the store contrasts surrounding luxury outlets, making it impossible to miss.