Earlier this year when it was announced that London Fashion Week was moving from its much-loved home in Somerset House (its base for the last five years) to the second floor of a car park in Soho, there were more than a few raised eyebrows.
Although less conventionally beautiful than its former Neoclassical locale, the Brewer Street car park does offer a much needed upgrade in terms of space and flexibility that reflects the current growth within the UK fashion market.
To transform the new urban setting into a showcase befitting of the designer collections, the British Fashion Council enlisted the expertise of David Collins Studio who, under the guidance of design director Lewis Taylor, reimagined the car park as a light-filled, contemporary showroom with a concept based on lines of symmetry, transparency and reflection.
Finished in a cool palette of white, teal blue and silver grey - a nod to the British Fashion Council's brand identity - the design celebrates the car park's concrete structure rather than trying to conceal it. 'We were very aware of the fact the showroom would be in an urban environment and we didn’t want to completely disguise this,' explains Taylor. 'We wanted the design to feel like an installation within the space with glimpses of the raw car park interior rather than creating an interior that completely envelopes the existing space.'
A 70-metre-long mirrored ceiling catwalk that runs the length of the 1,600 sq m venue cleverly doubles the exhibition space's perceived volume while reflecting the light and enhancing the symmetry of the design. Off to the sides and reflected in the mirrored ceiling, are 100 showcases that allow designers to exhibit within their own private spaces without closing them off from the wider showroom.
To keep things light and airy, the booths are separated by translucent, reeded smoked acrylic while silver grey metal show rails, floating shelves and showcase plinths bring a subtle uniformity to the space - much like a 'mini-department store,' notes Taylor.
Visitors are encouraged to lounge on accent furniture pieces made from high density foam that resembles terrazzo, while a casual café concept in the form of a pop-up HIX restaurant provides the refreshments. 'The temporary nature of these projects doesn’t really allow for layering of details and finishes that our permanent concepts do,' says Taylor. 'The approach is to use a simple strong palate of materials and a small number of strong ideas.'
To transform the new urban setting into a showcase befitting of the designer collections, the British Fashion Council enlisted the expertise of David Collins Studio who, under the guidance of design director Lewis Taylor, reimagined the car park as a light-filled, contemporary showroom with a concept based on lines of symmetry, transparency and reflection
'We were very aware of the fact the showroom would be in an urban environment and we didn’t want to completely disguise this,' explains Taylor. 'We wanted the design to feel like an installation within the space with glimpses of the raw car park interior rather than creating an interior that completely envelopes the existing space'
Finished in a cool palette of white, teal blue and silver grey - a nod to the British Fashion Council's brand identity - the design celebrates the car park's concrete structure rather than trying to conceal it
A 70-metre-long mirrored ceiling catwalk that runs the length of the 1,600 square metre venue cleverly doubles the exhibition space's perceived volume while reflecting the light and enhancing the symmetry of the design
INFORMATION
Photography: Dylan Thomas
ADDRESS
BFC Show Space
Brewer Street Car Park
Brewer Street
London
W1F OLA
-
Mika Cars wants to build the Mino, a sporty, ultra-compact electric two-seater for the open roadAn evolution of Mika’s Meon electric beach buggy, the little Mino is an ultra-light EV with big-car aspirations
-
Beck on his orchestral shows: 'It's something that can't be simulated by AI'Following two nights at London's Royal Albert Hall, Wallpaper* meets Beck and conductor Edwin Outwater to hear how the pair brought to life Beck's back catalogue with an 80-piece orchestra
-
Formula 1 in photos: 100 memorable momentsA new book, ‘Formula 1: The Impossible Collection’, marks 75 years of the motor-racing championship – a history full of tenacity, triumph and tragedy
-
Inside Louis Vuitton’s Murakami London pop-up, a colourful cartoon wonderland with one-of-a-kind caféWallpaper* takes a tour of the Louis Vuitton x Murakami pop-up in London’s Soho, which celebrates the launch of a new ‘re-edition’ accessories collection spanning the greatest hits from the Japanese artist’s long-running collaboration with the house
-
Get to know Issey Miyake’s innovative A-POC ABLE line as it arrives in the UKAs A-POC ABLE Issey Miyake launches in London this week, designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae gives Wallpaper* the lowdown on the experimental Issey Miyake offshoot
-
Margaret Howell London Fashion Week Women's S/S 2019 -
London Fashion Week S/S 2023: Ahluwalia to Martine RoseThough slimmed-down, London Fashion Week nonetheless provided the moments of creative expression the city is known for – from Ahluwalia’s ode to Africa to Martine Rose’s much-anticipated runway return
-
Discover these fashion brands at London Craft WeekDuring London Craft Week, fashion brands including Smythson, Bally and Serapian are hosting events across the capital
-
Nicholas Daley's multicultural roots celebrated in London -
V&A spotlights the sartorial and social significance of the kimonoFor the latest endeavour of London's Victoria and Albert Museum, Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk explores the evolution of the iconic Japanese garment
-
Erdem A/W 2020 London Fashion Week Women's
