unKAGEd flair: Neo-brutalist boutique designed by C’est ici captures the laid-back luxe of KAGE
Late last year, UAE-bred women’s fashion and homeware label KAGE moved into their new physical address at Al Khayat Avenue, Dubai’s emerging art hub located in Al Quoz. Here’s a peek into their chic 200 sq. mtr. studio fashioned by inter-disciplinary firm C’est ici Design.
Shared Vision
Since 2009, KAGE has earned a fan following for its laid-back and uber-wearable silhouettes made for the stylishly daring girl next door and the woman who lives life on her own terms. Infused with androgyny, effortlessness and imagination, the contemporary ready-to-wear has become recognizable for its playful merging of colour, proportion and print.
The label’s founding designer, Basma Abu Ghazaleh, wanted the new boutique have a simple and minimal design approach, one that would allow the collection to be the focal point of the space. Owing to a shared aesthetic and appreciation for craftsmanship, C’est ici was a natural choice for KAGE when it came to choosing a design partner. As a practice known for their Japandi house style, an intersection of Scandinavian and modern Japanese aesthetics rooted in minimalist design principals, C’est ici spoke the same language as KAGE: playful, laid-back, and stylish.
Laid-back Luxe
A double height warehouse was converted into a contemporary boutique, retaining the industrial features of the space but softening it with elegant materials, colours and textures. Embodying the essence of the KAGE girl who doesn’t take fashion too seriously and prefers an understated approach to dressing, the interior design too is honest and unpretentious. Functionality, simplicity and industrial elegance shine through in the open plan, the sleek lines of the storage and display shelves, fixtures and raw materials. Nothing is covered up or pretending to be anything it isn’t.
The colour palette in neutral and muted tones of beige and grey create a sophisticated ambience and act as the perfect backdrop for Bassma’s seasonal collections. The walls of the warehouse are painted in two complimentary tones from the same colour palette to accentuate the double volume of the space and visually demarcate the shop floor in the ground level from the studio in the mezzanine.
The space is bright and airy, with natural light flooding in through large windows. A neo-brutalist approach is evident in the pairing of exposed I-beams, metal staircase and polished concrete flooring with wooden shelves, plush seating and delicate décor pieces.
Sleek metal clothes racks and wall mounted bars display the latest collection, organized efficiently by style and colour. A shelving unit with wooden racks showcase fashion jewellery and home décor pieces while the label’s ceramic range of handmade candle holders, mini vases and dessert holders adorn table tops. The brand’s sustainable collection of table linen created from upcycled KAGE fabrics find pride of place in the mezzanine studio.
A cosy lounge invites customers to take a breather and appreciate the boutique tastefully curated with a selection of modern and vintage furniture pieces adding pops of colour. The space like the label exudes a sense of quietude and understated luxury, a perfect space for the region’s effortlessly chic and easy-going fashionistas.
