DFROST creates a trade fair booth with bauhaus and urban-jungle themes
It was just one year ago that neubau eyewear first displayed its »heritage wall« to grant others a glimpse into its history and showcase itself as a new, emerging eyewear brand from Linz. But you’d be forgiven for thinking that decades had passed since then. Today, the brand is an established industry player with an outstanding reputation for urban lifestyle topics and sustainability. Many of its customers will get to enjoy a truly impressive spectacle when they make their way to the MIDO Eyewear Show 2019 in Milan: on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus school, neubau will unveil a unique booth that combines the iconic designs of Walter Gropius and his contemporaries with an ‘urban jungle’ theme and aspects of sustainability. The concept will remain topical for years to come, and it lends itself well to reinterpretation. Once again, DFROST Retail Identity were the creative minds behind the extravagant trade fair booth. The company designed the concept, developed the project and managed its production from start to finish.
how 100 years of Bauhaus have changed our point of view
The Bauhaus once taught us that the principle of »form follows function« can yield revolutionary results in product development. A hundred years after the foundation of the iconic school, its influence remains strong: lifestyle brands such as neubau are virtually compelled to subscribe to its modern designs and excellent craftsmanship. The young, Austrian business produces optical frames and sunglasses, and its innovative, functional style and outstanding production expertise has helped it establish itself as an important industry player. On the occasion of the Bauhaus centenary, the company will step into Kandinsky’s shoes and launch a campaign inspired by clear lines and minimalistic shapes. Of course, the neubau booth designed by DFROST for the MIDO Eyewear Show 2019 in Milan is also dedicated to the school’s iconic designs, but its interpretation offers plenty of surprise.
Bauhaus meets greenhouse
Spanning a space of 8 by 10 metres, the booth is a feast for the eyes of all Bauhaus lovers. From the hospitality area with its bar and lounge to the order and product presentation part, all sections partly feature original classics by Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Breuer, Le Corbusier and contemporaries: chairs, lounge chairs, settees, bar stools, coffee tables and converted presentation furniture. DFROST, the agency for retail identity, even created its own furniture in the Bauhaus style to fill any design gaps: display cases, sideboards, order tables, book stands, bar equipment and so on. The booth has plenty of space for neubau furniture, POS tools, bags and all other necessities. Its decoration and equipment complement the atmosphere with books about the Bauhaus school, vases in the Bauhaus style, a portafilter coffee machine, a vintage sound system and many more details. Visitors will find themselves surround-ded by luscious greenery, too: dense rows of plants line the entire façade and interior areas, so you may well need to look for some of the exclusive eyeglass models in the undergrowth. The greenhouse design conveys urban living as well as sustainability. Those concepts define the brand and give the booth its surprising twists.
of visibility and transparency
The Bauhaus homage and the greenhouse concept are supported by burnished steel as well as translucent and transparent acrylic panels, standing on a floor made to look like raw concrete. DFROST has used high-quality materials throughout. By incorporating typical graphic designs, the architecture reflects more than just the Bauhaus theme: the all-round transparency of the façade also references the classic greenhouse architecture we all know. DFROST takes the long-distance effect even further by incorporating an XXL visual. Let us not point out the obvious and offer a visual aid from neubau to anyone who fails to spot this spectacular booth from afar: you simply cannot miss it!
See and do good
The cautious, appreciative utilisation of resources is more than a marketing gimmick for neubau: the company is fully committed to genuine sustainability. This also extends to its packaging, visual merchandising and retail architecture. The neubau booth at the MIDO Eyewear Show 2019 reflects the company’s dedication to our environment perfectly. First and foremost, it is fully reusable: the elements of the concept can be flexibly adapted for various uses. This was neubau’s explicit wish, and DFROST has been happy to comply with it for several years running. This time, the retail experts have designed a concept whose different versions can be reused for three years. Rather than disposing of construction elements, furniture and other parts after the event, they needed to be suitable for further purposes later to satisfy the customer’s requirements. This includes plants whose life continues after the event is over: visitors who attended the last day of the MIDO fair got to give a loving, new home to as many calatheas as they could carry in their arms. How will neubau reinterpret its unique DFROST trade fair concept next time? You’ll never guess ...
