Pradas latest retail tribute to artist Carlos Cruz-Diez

The new boutique in London's Westfield Stratford City pays homage to Venezuelan op artist Carlos Cruz-Diez with a graphic aluminium and steel façade designed by Roberto Baciocchi (Image credit: Roberto Baciocchi)

If you're familiar with Miuccia Prada's dynamic and inventive use of colour and pattern, you'll understand her attraction to the Paris-based Venezuelan op artist Carlos Cruz-Diez, a leader in the kinetic art movement and a modern pioneer of vivid hues and mindblowing pattern.

Prada's admiration for Cruz-Diez is now being displayed on an epic proportion. Last month the final touches were completed to the latest Prada store at London's Westfield Stratford City, a 230sq m, ground-level boutique designed by Italian architect Roberto Baciocchi. The store's façade pays obvious tribute to Cruz-Diez, its series of aluminium, steel and golden blades producing a moiré effect often associated with the artist. The interior is no less complex, teasing the eye with multi-faceted mirrors, deep cubic storage, polished steel and a gleaming checkerboard floor.

Stratford's 15m façade is the latest in a recent succession of new Prada boutiques that pay homage to Cruz-Diez. The seemingly vibrating patterns of vertical blades have become a tradition for the brand. It enlisted Baciocchi to design its new Qingdao, China, location with a backlit vertical composition that juts out in high relief to create an optical illusion. Boutiques at Harbin's Charter Shopping Center and Shenyang's the Mix City Crossing followed suit.

The store covers an area of about 230sq m on a single level

The interior is divided into three areas, one covering women's ready-to-wear

The women's areas feature 'Prada-green' fabric walls, mirrors and polished steel and crystal display counters

Baciocchi also undertook Prada&rsquo;s Qingdao boutique, designing a backlit vertical composition that juts out in high relief to create an optical illusion — Baciocchi also undertook Prada’s Qingdao boutique, designing a backlit vertical composition that juts out in high relief to create an optical illusion

The Shenyang, China, store at the Mix City Crossing was designed in the same tradition, using Cruz-Diez&rsquo;s op art patterns as inspiration — The Shenyang, China, store at the Mix City Crossing was designed in the same tradition, using Cruz-Diez’s op art patterns as inspiration

In mainland China, Prada has become an anchor in finer department stores. This wave of gold and silver blades is at the Mix in Shenzhen

The vertical steel blades at Harbin&rsquo;s Charter Shopping Center location create a seemingly endless moir&eacute;-effect, a visual cue often associated with Cruz-Diez — The vertical steel blades at Harbin’s Charter Shopping Center location create a seemingly endless moiré-effect, a visual cue often associated with Cruz-Diez

More eye-popping effects on the facade of the store on Hong Kong&rsquo;s Canton Road — More eye-popping effects on the facade of the store on Hong Kong’s Canton Road

Prada Kuala Lumpur Exterior — Prada flies the Cruz-Diez flag across Asia. This is Kuala Lumpur’s flagship…

Prada Singapore Ion Exterior — … and Singapore’s, at the Ion on Orchard Street

Prada Nagoya — Prada enlisted Baciocchi to design its Nagoya, Japan, location, which opened six months ago. The two-storey façade in polished titanium and gold is backlit at night

Based in London, Ellen Himelfarb travels widely for her reports on architecture and design. Her words appear in The Times, The Telegraph, The World of Interiors, and The Globe and Mail in her native Canada. She has worked with Wallpaper* since 2006.