Shine is one of Hong Kong’s most renowned high end multi-brand fashion stores, known for bringing pioneering foreign brands to the trend conscious locals. For the second shop located in the high traffic youth-oriented shopping district of Causeway Bay, the owner specifically requested for NC Design & Architecture Ltd (NCDA) to produce a design that would reinforce the company’s identity as an avant-garde and experimental fashion store.
Inspired by the name of the store, a 7m tall asymmetrical glowing star-like structure forms the primary street identity along Leighton Road, attracting both pedestrians and motorists. The pristine white shell embodies a black interior wall that further unfolds to create three main rooms: The entrance gallery, the upper level sales area & finally the dressing room. Equipped with 3 display platforms and suspended mannequins, the entrance gallery acts as an extension of the window display and forms a stage for the evolving seasonal Merchandise displays. The crystalline black wall unfolds to form a suspended stair leading to the upper level sales area, and a row of geometrically arranged fluorescent lights is placed above the stair to emit a cool futuristic sci-fi glow which goes in line with the progressive spirit of the clothing.
The upper level sales area showcases the men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections in the black crystalline niches on both sides. Special attention is given to the display of the latest pieces, which are suspended on two central uplit racks. Pieces from various designers are presented against a monochromatic background. A continuous metal edge above each niche allows for the flexible placement of magnetic brand tags in order to showcase the evolving selection of designers.
Finally, the dressing room conceals the leather padded fitting rooms and cashier entrances behind a continuously folded kaleidoscopic mirror partition, forming the most intimate and private area within the overall shop. Inspired by music videos and computer generated effects, the dressing room enclosure creates a ‘hyper-real state’, where the customer can see multiple reflections of themselves at different angles in the mirror. The back lit stretched ceiling creates a false sense of depth to the 2m headroom yet provides abundant light to the person trying on the clothes.
The design of the Shine flagship store in the Leighton Center showcases how the idea of a ‘shining star’ could be translated architecturally into a fashion retail space, creating a visually striking yet highly functional contemporary store.
