Minimalism in Retail

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You may think that ten minimal retail spaces may not be the most interesting read as the style has often manifested as white-walled rooms, stark lighting, and a lack of details. But, in exploring minimalism this month, we have discovered a wealth of ways that this style can appear. Minimalism doesn’t have to look any specific way and even spaces that follow many of the core principles of the movement- scarcity of detail, clean lines, and a sense of purpose- can express personality, emotion, and even playfulness. Minimalism, when interpreted as a desire to be mindful, can be evoked in many different ways; here we explore ten diverse interpretations of the movement that have caught our eye.

1) Icicle, Paris

This store, for Chinese fashion brand Icicle, is on the surface minimalistic as we would traditionally expect. But investigate further and we find a richness of texture and juxtaposition of materials to inspire. The concept draws on the locality as well as the brand ethos to deliver an environment that is stripped-back but full of considered references. Set in the centre of Paris, the retail space envelops the customer in a rich cream-coloured palette that directly references and celebrates the soft warmth of the city’s most recognisable buildings. In using Saint Maximin stone, a French limestone sourced from a nearby quarry that is synonymous with Parisian buildings, the concept blends the 19th-century exterior with the interior though a continuation of the same honey-coloured sandstone finish. However, the architect has eschewed the layers of extraneous detail that typify the Parisian architectural style, using only clean, curvilinear surfaces, and a singular natural material- floors, walls, ceiling, and the monolithic three-story staircase are all sculpted from the honed stone. We love how the store environment brings the brand ethos and purpose to life. Icicle’s clothing is mindfully crafted from vegetable-dyed denim and organic cotton and the conceptual interior reflects this ethical, natural philosophy as the connection between store space and product is organic- one defines and enhances the other.

2)?Modes, Milan

This store, for fashion retailer Modes, is a very modern interpretation of minimalism. Although it doesn’t look like a space that we would traditionally think of as minimal it follows some core principles of the movement- a sense of purpose, and mindfulness around material use. The store, in Milan’s most fashionable district, has an aesthetic far from the typical or expected fashion retail experience.?Repurposed materials are layered over existing elements as, rather than gutting the heritage space and starting anew, the concept retains the shell of the space and augments with a layer of new furniture, partitions, and decorative elements. The visible sustainability and commitment to circular design is most obviously demonstrated by the reflective silver drapes, recycled from previous use as part of an inflatable canopy at a 2022 installation by the brand.

3)?Khaite, New York

This store is a great example of the subtle similarities and connections between minimalism and brutalism. Although historically linked, where minimalism looks to simplify and remove extraneous detail, Brutalism is a more utilitarian aesthetic that celebrates raw materials and exposed construction details.

Clothing label Khaite’s New York flagship occupies a traditional Corinthian cast-iron column-clad SoHo building and is designed to capture this cultural heritage and legacy whilst remaining true to the brand’s clean and contemporary aesthetic.

The space is clad in materials referencing the city environment such as poured concrete, trowelled cement, and rough plaster, with colossal curving steel partitions through the store to both conceal and display the brand’s simple apparel collection. This palette brings robust industrialism that spotlights unique textures and preserves their imperfection. We love how the concept also adopts elemental qualities such as natural light, so that despite the soaring scale of the store, there are still intimate spaces. This juxtaposition of both tone of voice and physical touchpoints- warm contrasting with cool, architectural scale against human and tactile moments- is shown most clearly where two skylights bathe key areas of the space in warm light, allowing a sculptural olive tree to flourish at the heart of the store. These balancing moments inject slices of colour and a necessary organic element to the otherwise restrained, almost austere, scheme.

4)?Jacquemus stores worldwide

The design of the Jacquemus boutiques in London and Paris showcase the minimalist principle of a considered palette and are exercises in testing the limits of working with a single material. From pillows, to terracotta, to blue tiles each Jacquemus store is designed to evoke a clear emotional response in the customer through immersion in a single colour.

At the Paris store the walls and furniture are clad with a softly enveloping layer of fluffy white cushions and plump pillows in a reference to the textile heritage of Provence. The whimsical décor delivering a playful yet relaxing atmosphere through soothing repetition and tactile evocation of environments of sleep. In the brand’s London outpost within Selfridges, walls, display plinths and tables all finished in terracotta plaster in a tonal palette of shades drawn from the brand founder Simon Porte Jacquemus’ home in the South of France. In both cases, the materials dictate their presence in the space and whilst the stores are designed around a singularity of finish, careful thought is given as to the sensory experience evoked by the forms the textures are applied to.

5)?Camper stores by Nendo

The Japanese design studio Nendo have designed several stores for shoe brand Camper, in each case creating their own evocation of minimalism whilst retaining a playfulness that perfectly suits the Spanish brand’s personality.

At the Osaka store, the space is so minimal and installation-like it is almost ethereal. Inspired by the?brand ambition to contribute to the simple pleasure of walking the interior of the store uses pared back repetition to physically bring this to life in the way the product is showcased. Invisibly, almost weightlessly held, footwear is displayed on barely discernible stands- slim metal plates affixed to thin tubes rising out of the floor. The shoes seem to float in the air and stroll about the environment a whimsical landscape created from the most minimal components.

Similarly, the Malmo concept design features displays that appear as lightweight, paper-like sculptures giving a sense that the shoes are balancing weightlessly. Taking a soft, thin, flat material and giving it form?reflects the shoemaking process. Here the material is a 2mm-thick white resin flooring sheet, rolled into spirals to create self-supporting structures. Variations in?not only the?height and size, but in the degree of openness of the spiralling forms, result in a visually rich aesthetic despite it’s using only a single colour and material throughout.

Each concept is a carefully staged environment rich in nuanced storytelling, achieved through minimal material use. The spaces focus on the product, refining the presentation to the most essential forms, allowing the shoes to inhabit fantastic dreamscapes.

Uncover our final five favourite retail experiences...here