In 2000, Japanese photographer Takashi Homma began photographing waves on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Making up a series titled New Waves, he would continue photographing them for over a decade; the idea, he once said, was that people could purchase an image from a particular year as they might a vintage wine. ‘I fix the camera on the water; I wait, I don’t move, I wait for them to come to me,’ he said of the images, which have a hazy, dreamlike quality. ‘I take all my wave photos at the same beach – in the morning after sunrise, in good, natural light, using ten or 20 sheets.’

‘Été Celine’ arrives at London’s Selfridges

A series of these works feature in a new pop-up store from Parisian house Celine, which for the coming month takes over the ephemeral ‘Corner Shop’ space in London department store Selfridges. Homma’s photographs encapsulate the pop-up’s mood: titled ‘Été Celine’ (‘Celine Summer’), the products strike an idyllic mood, seeing Michael Rider – the Washington DC-born creative director of the house – construct a warm-weather wardrobe in what has become his design vernacular, a marriage of American prep and Parisian insouciance. (Rider was previously at Polo Ralph Lauren before his Celine appointment, though he had worked at the house during the tenure of Phoebe Philo.)

Also titled ‘Été Celine’, the collection – which was revealed at the beginning of April in a Zoë Ghertner-shot lookbook – spans hallmarks of Rider’s tenure at the house so far, from vivid printed silks to bold primary hues. But there are also bikinis (some with metal Triomphe charms or monogram prints), woven raffia baskets and riffs on the Breton stripe, alongside caps, sunglasses, denim shorts, cotton sundresses, towels and sandals. Befitting the summertime mood, the Selfridges window will feature Celine hardware as well as displays reminiscent of beach houses.

Alongside, the pop-up will also feature a global pre-launch of the house’s Autumn 2026 collection, which, despite its seasonal moniker, also has a breezy, summertime mood (something also captured in the Zoë Ghertner-shot images, which are backdropped by desert-like rock formations and blue seas). Expect an array of accessories, from vividly coloured bags to beaded necklaces and charms, alongside breezy shirts, printed silk shirts and outerwear trimmed with shaggy tassels.

Celine’s ‘Été Celine’ pop-up at London’s Selfridges runs until June 27, 2026.

celine.com

High above the Selfridges shop floor lies a world of luxury. In the upper levels of the historic London flagship, ‘VVSPs’ (‘Very Very Selfridges Persons’) and other top tiers of the retailer’s membership programme – from royalty and footballers to musicians and actors – conduct their personal shopping. As of today (9 April 2026), that offering has become significantly more exclusive.

Today marks the opening of 40 Duke, Selfridges’ most significant investment in a decade. Spanning 25,000 square feet, the space reimagines personal shopping as something more hybrid – less suite, more members’ club. Shopping is woven together with hospitality, cultural programming and social interaction: alongside 24 private shopping spaces, 40 Duke comprises a food and drink destination, an event area, a gallery, beauty studios, a concierge and much more.

‘We‘re trying to connect people to the culture behind the product,’ says Will Wyness, director of creative at Selfridges. ‘We love the idea that this is a space that customers can be shuttled up to, where they can be connected to the zeitgeist through the events and experiences we offer, the food, the chair they sit on, the curator we introduce them to.’

Wallpaper* takes a first look inside 40 Duke

40 Duke is accessed via a discreet entrance on Duke Street, with a further entrance connecting directly to private parking coming soon. Interior design was led by Simone McEwan and Sacha Leong of Nice Projects, in collaboration with Selfridges’ in-house teams, resulting in an environment that feels at once familiar and hyper-elevated. ‘We never want that Pretty Woman moment where everything feels too precious and you have to tiptoe around,’ says Wyness. ‘There‘s a casual approach to luxury that we‘re trying to execute.’

Nice Projects’ spaces espouse a curated eclecticism. Materials – cork, stainless steel, marble, travertine and burl – define each environment, while bespoke elements lend a sense of singularity: rugs by Christopher Farr, leathers and textiles by Pierre Frey, and a kinetic light installation by Belgian practice Studio Élémentaires – orb-shaped forms moving in circles as though magnetised to a chrome ceiling. This attention to atmosphere goes even further: Selfridges worked with a music curator to programme sound across the spaces as well as commissioning a bespoke scent for 40 Duke.

Furniture has been sourced from distinguished names including Tecta, Finn Juhl, De Sede, Tacchini and Arflex, with communal-space selections made in collaboration with The Future Perfect. Crucially, customers can acquire pieces from the gallery’s selection, reflecting 40 Duke’s holistic philosophy: ‘As much as possible, we‘ve tried to create a space where almost everything is for sale,’ says Wyness. ‘A customer can sit on a chair and ask: can I buy this in another colour?’ Art, curated by Matt Williams of Camden Art Centre and formerly the ICA, operates similarly: ‘You can‘t buy the piece directly, but we can introduce customers through our curating service.’

The studios and suites

Each of the 24 studios and suites – where advisors outfit clients with made-to-measure fashion and early access to collections – occupies a unique palette, from powder blues to shocking corals, with no two exactly alike. Details abound: seamlessly foldaway surfaces, statement design objects in every space, and door numbers rendered in twisted candy canes of transparent glass – somewhat illegible but entirely worth it.

‘One of the big questions we had was: how do you design a space for both royalty and a singer?’ asks Wyness, gesturing at the breadth of the Selfridges clientele. The answer was two corridors of suites – one classic, one playful – allowing the space to accommodate any sensibility without compromise.

Food, drink and the art of lingering

The Club Lounge, operated in partnership with Cellar Society, marking the luxury catering company’s first permanent restaurant, accommodates 64 covers anchored by a 16-seat bar. The offering extends across the main lounge, a private dining room and The Terrace – a tranquil retreat above the churn of Mayfair, outfitted by Cassina with archive pieces by Gio Ponti and Charlotte Perriand.

The multi-hyphenate nature of 40 Duke encourages lingering, deliberately blurring the boundaries between shopping, dining and leisure. Some VVSPs (who have unfettered access to 40 Duke; members from other tiers can access the space by appointment), says Wyness, will effectively ‘move in for a week’ – arriving with a coterie of 25 people, which explains the PlayStations in some of the suites.

A new standard

There is a story often told in Selfridges' personal shopping department: a certain Old Hollywood movie star (who they have asked not to be named) once came in for an appointment and asked for Twiglets with her champagne, initiating a frantic search across Mayfair.

It is this level of attentiveness that 40 Duke has been built to honour – and what makes it, ultimately, a statement of intent. At a moment when luxury retail is having to justify its physical existence, Selfridges is doubling down on the irreplaceable: human connection, genuine curation and the kind of unhurried, attentive experience that no algorithm can approximate.

Amid the heady spectacle of the numerous debuts which took place this past September – 15 new creative directors debuted across the S/S 2026 season of runway shows – it is easy to forget that these were garments which would, eventually, arrive on the rails of stores, far away from the buzz and furore of Paris and Milan (or, indeed, the enormous glowing planets, inverted pyramids or ice-like glass stools of the arresting runway sets which they were backdropped with).

Yesterday (8 January 2026) in London, Jonathan Anderson heralded the arrival of his first collections for Dior (menswear and womenswear, as revealed in Paris) with an ephemeral pop-up in London’s Selfridges department store (the newly installed space takes over the prime ‘Corner Shop’ at the front of the store, straddling Oxford Street and Davies Street). Encapsulating a feeling of both spectacle and arrival, the windows are stacked high with grey Dior boxes – a recently introduced design, imprinted with a de-capitalised Dior logo, which reflects the house’s original 1946 typeface. Inside, two mannequins struggle to hold piles of even more grey parcels.

These boxes are based on originals from Colifichets, the first-ever Dior store, which opened in 1947 (directed by Christian Dior’s friend Carmen Colle, it sold various trinkets, scarves and curiosities, operating from the ground floor of the house’s 30 Avenue Montaigne address). Indeed, the pop-up has its own Wunderkammer feel: boxes open to reveal Lady Dior handbags, or Anderson’s riff on the Book Tote, here emblazoned with the covers of classic books, from Bram Stoker’s Dracula to Les Fleurs du Mal by Charles Baudelaire (the same graphics appear on T-shirts and accessories).

Meanwhile, cabinets and drawers reveal a menagerie of animal-shaped charms, constructed from the tools of the atelier, from thimbles and embroidery scissors to twisting measuring tapes. Ready-to-wear spans mens and womenswear – intermingled on the shop floor for the first time – with the pieces on show encapsulating a mood of freshness and contemporary romance that feels at the heart of Anderson’s vision for the house. Motifs that run throughout include the four-leaved clover – a nod to both Anderson’s native Ireland, but also of Christian Dior’s fascination with superstitious emblems and charms.

Indeed, for those feeling lucky, a special draw invites guests to select a mystery card which, when unwrapped, could win you a prize from the collection (sadly, when Wallpaper* dropped by, we had no such luck). Elsewhere, notebooks and bookmarks can be personalised – a nod, say the house, to Anderson’s love of literature, which has provided an undercurrent to his tenure at Dior thus far.

Dior at the Corner Shop at Selfridges runs until 28 February 2026.

dior.com

Good cinema has always had a way of reaching beyond the screen, often stirring all five senses. Food, after all, is rarely just sustenance on film; it can be shorthand for power, seduction, longing, class, and culture. Cuisine and cinema have long been inseparable collaborators.

Mubi announces ‘Let’s Eat! A Film Feast’

The Cinema at Selfridges alongside production company and film distributor Mubi have teamed up for an all-day immersion into food on film, held on 20 November and aptly titled Let’s Eat! A Film Feast. The programme spans screenings, food-focused talks and a pop-up exhibition.

Across the selected screenings, audiences can revisit cult favourites and contemporary gems alike, including The Lunchbox (2013), First Cow (2020), Babette’s Feast (1987) and Raw (2016). For those wanting to dive deeper into cinematic appetite, Little White Lies will explore Big Night (1996); the Mubi Podcast will dissect Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread (2017); and Notebook magazine will delve into Peter Greenaway’s sumptuous and savage The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989). In addition, Sandwich magazine will host a playful, palate-teasing quiz to round out the day.

Every ticket includes popcorn, complimentary Campari-partner cocktails, and free pizza from 2.30 pm. As evening falls, a bespoke menu created by chef and culinary artist Heal Goblin (Nil Mutluer) will be served.

If you’re not in London, Mubi extends the festival online. From 27 November, the new Mubi Podcast season spotlights cinema’s most memorable meals. Besides, a collection of food-led films – including La Cocina (2024), Flux Gourmet (2022), The Taste of Things (2023) and Dessert for Constance (1981) – brings the festival to your living room.

The Cinema at Selfridges is located at 40 Duke St, London W1U 1AT, UK. Tickets for ‘Let’s Eat! A Film Feast’ are available here.

In his 90th year, Giorgio Armani is enjoying something of a renaissance. There was a glitzy runway show in New York to celebrate his birthday year, the opening of Palazzo Armani in Paris last month, and a surge in interest from younger consumers who are hunting out his 1980s and 1990s designs on fashion resale sites. That’s not to mention a slew of other critically lauded runway shows, some high-profile celebrity ambassadors (Demi Moore wore Giorgio Armani Privé to win her Golden Globe for The Substance), and plans for further celebrations later this year as Giorgio Armani – the eponymous label which started it all – turns 50. ‘Creating is my reason for existing,’ he told Wallpaper* – after his latest Armani Privé show, in January – of his seemingly endless reserves of energy.

Inside Emporio Armani’s luxurious takeover of Selfridges’ Corner Shop

Opening today (11 February) is the designer’s latest outpost: a one-stop Emporio Armani store in Selfridges’ ‘Corner Shop’ space. Its design, says Mr Armani, is inspired by Emporio Armani’s Milanese concept store at Manzoni 31, a vast outpost of the label that also houses a restaurant and Armani/Libri bookstore. Situated on the London department store’s ground floor, the new space evokes the distinct Armani aesthetic – a kind of monumental minimalism melded with Milanese elegance and warmth – through its textural assemblage of glass, concrete, bamboo and chrome, alongside crisp white lighting and a series of floor-to-ceiling screens displaying imagery from the brand’s recent campaigns.

The store will centre around the house’s S/S 2025 collections for men and women, as well as a trans-seasonal denim offering and an array of accessories ‘embodying a modern sophistication’. Alongside will be a number of installations for shoppers to discover – Mr Armani says he imagines people ‘meandering’ through the space – including Armani/Fiori, an arm of the label that creates dramatic floral displays inspired by the Japanese art of Ikebana (a vast bamboo structure in the window is decorated with bold red anthurium flowers). Meanwhile, an outpost of the Armani/Libri bookstore will feature a curation of books spanning fashion, design and architecture (Stefano Boeri’s Gio Ponti e Milano and Josh Sims’ Icons of Style are two of the titles on sale).

The ‘Corner Shop’ space – which has previously been taken over by Prada, Loewe, Jacquemus, On and Celine – will also allow for culinary indulgence with an outpost of Armani/Dolce, the house’s chocolatier. Not only allowing shoppers to purchase the latest Armani/Dolci by Guido Gobino collection – the award-winning artisanal chocolatier has created a rich assortment of pralines, delicate chocolate discs and ‘Giandujotto’, a hazelnut chocolate that originates from Piedmont – the Armani/Dolce space will also serve hot drinks and pastries, making it a welcome haven away from the furore of Oxford Street.

Emporio Armani at Selfridges Corner shop is open until March 9, 2025.

400 Oxford St, London W1C 1JS.

armani.com

Breathing life into the darker dregs of January, all hail Sarabande’s ‘House of Bandits’ residency at Selfridges, a riotous takeover of London’s West End edifice, which runs until 23 March. Less pop-up, more creative explosion, the residency features art, craft, fashion, jewellery and sculpture for sale from a wealth of Sarabande’s 280 alumni alongside limited edition works by the foundation's friends and supporters, such as Thom Browne, Francesca Amfitheatrof, Tim Burton and Jake Chapman. All sales proceeds will directly support the foundation and its artists.

However important, bringing work to market is just one part of the residency. ‘We want to recreate the feeling of Sarabande too,’ says Trino Verkade, the foundation’s director: ‘Making art accessible is an important part of what we do, but it’s equally vital that we inspire the next generation of artists into existence,’ she continues. On the shop floor at Selfridges, Sarabande has recreated working studio spaces as they appear at their Haggerston and Tottenham homes. These will have a rotation of Sarabande artists and designers working in them throughout the two-month residency for people to see creativity in action and speak to the artists about their work, their process and their lives too.

Sarabande has also taken over three windows on Orchard Street, recreating the studio of a painter, a fashion designer and a craftsperson in each. Honouring the foundation’s reputation for exceptional public programs, the residency is bringing a series of talks, events and workshops to Selfridges’ shop floors and cinema space. ‘We want it to have the energy and life that we love at Sarabande,’ Verkade explains, ‘It’s a fantastic opportunity to open up our world and show people what we do. We recognise that creativity knows no bounds and so we hope that everyone whether they know anything about art or not will come and see us, find out more about the foundation and our artists, join a workshop or talk, and buy something - a mug or a painting - to support the future of fearless creativity in this country.’

Ahead of the residency opening, we caught-up with Trino Verkade, director of Sarabande to hear more about the foundation’s work.

Trino Verkade on the future of Sarabande

Wallpaper*: It’s been nearly two decades since Lee McQueen founded Sarabande in 2006. What’s the most remarkable aspect of the journey so far?

Trino Verkade: We went into Sarabande rather naively with a clear plan of what we wanted to achieve but not a great understanding of how it was going to work. It was founded with passion, based on an idea – to help support the future of fearlessly creative individuals. The thing that always strikes me is the incredible support that we receive.

W*: It looms large in the imagination of the creative industries, not just because of Lee’s legacy, but in the sense of community that you harness.

TV: The feeling we hoped to capture was based on the early 1990s in London, when creatives of all backgrounds and interests worked together and believed in working together. People helped and shared with each other. This is the concept at the heart of Sarabande in its business and mentoring layer, and we encourage everyone to help each other, while they’re working with us, and as they go out into the world.

The age group that has grown into business from the 1990s and early 2000s period really supports the foundation. We have an amazing team; it’s a community of creatives that have made it and they don’t want to be the last one. They want to see more people coming through the pipeline. They want to help.

W*: It sounds like a cliché to describe your alumni as a family, but the force is strong.

TV: It’s one of the greatest elements of success: our relationship with the artists that we support is genuinely like a family. From the very first artists who moved in to the artists we work with now, everyone is friendly with the foundation. There’s a desire to give back to support other artists coming up - it’s unusual these days, but it’s very genuine at Sarabande.

W*: What has fostered it?

TV: We make it clear there is no competition between artists, and this generates a great degree of goodwill, mutual admiration and respect. They all love to be inspired by others around them, and not with a commercially competitive eye. We tell everybody that they have their own unique voice. We encourage them not to replicate a creative concept from another artist. There’s enough room out there; everyone can own their own space and grow in their own way. We love to see how many alumni buy each other’s work. This says it all.

W*: Obviously the financial assistance and support is crucial, but the psychological support is equally vital. There’s a great degree of courage required in choosing to work creatively.

TV: Giving funds and studio spaces to people is a tangible measure of our support. The bigger issue is helping people believe they can make their own industry when they don’t see it already existing. We encourage people to understand the value of spending time on something that is a burning passion. It sounds so airy fairy and of course making money is a reality, but there are multiple ways of earning money. Striving for creative fulfilment is not an either/or choice.

When we interview an artist for studios, they often teach part-time or work elsewhere and we don’t put any limits on that. Our role is to be a space where people can make works because they mean something to them; they’re not entirely commercially driven. We want people to make things they’ve never made before and they don’t know if there’s a market for them. They are walking into new territories, and it is fearlessly courageous. Recognising and respecting this is the support we give.

W*: Understanding this brings a whole new depth to the wonderful opportunity that your residency at Selfridges presents.

TV: It is an incredible gift to us. Selfridges has given us this opportunity for free, and we have a very exciting, busy nine weeks ahead of us. There will be a different artist each week creating work on the shop floor like a mini studio. This is important for accessibility: seeing and hearing stories about why artists do what they do changes people’s minds about what they can achieve.

W*: It also enlightens people’s understanding about process, production and consumption, which is an important message in a retail environment.

TV: It makes retail living – alive. This isn’t about selling as you say, it’s about process, passion, stories. It’s a different retail offering - a cultural one that’s about education and life experience.

Sarabande ‘House of Bandits’ at Selfridges runs until 23rd March, 2025

Sarabandefoundation.org

Taking over the windows at Selfridges in London this month, Tiffany & Co pays homage to its nearly 200-year history and the famous window displays at its Fifth Avenue store in New York. Celebrating the luxury jeweller’s longstanding love of art, design and exquisite craftsmanship, this open-to-all gallery features works by four British contemporary artists alongside window displays inspired by the Tiffany Archives.

From the very first store opening in New York in 1837, the striking windows have been a signature draw and a proud tradition, with its enduring allure epitomised by iconic film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, in which the lead character, played by Audrey Hepburn, is constantly drawn to the store’s creative displays. When Gene Moore joined the company in 1955, he revolutionised the look of window displays, with his pioneering designs juxtaposing Tiffany jewellery with unexpected, everyday materials like string, popcorn and toys. He also enlisted the likes of Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns to collaborate with him. Meanwhile, to celebrate the world premiere of The Great Gatsby film in 2013, director Baz Luhrmann and production designer Catherine Martin created windows glistening with Jazz Age glamour.

Honouring this longstanding connection to the arts, Tiffany & Co commissioned four artists – Damien Hirst, Rana Begum, Jason Bruges and James Righton – to reimagine Selfridges’ windows, with the designs displayed against the backdrop of heritage displays from the jewellery house’s archives. Hirst and Begum both took inspiration from Elsa Peretti’s sculptural bone cuff for Tiffany, with Hirst’s creation intertwining Tiffany’s signature blue with the butterfly, a recurring theme for the artist, and sculptures of medical packaging that reflect his Pharmacy series.

Meanwhile, Begum’s geometric reflective composition explores the interaction of her artwork with the body, movement and light. Bruges uses mathematics and algorithms to explore how generative beams of light interact with the internal volume of a diamond, creating a stunning kaleidoscopic effect. And Righton’s hypnotic, ever-changing piece is an aural expression of life’s ongoing cycles, its illuminated circles undulating to evoke a heartbeat. Within this immersive interplay of light and sound, Tiffany’s HardWear collection seamlessly takes centre stage.

After taking in the Tiffany & Co windows, which are on display until 20 October, visitors can explore the jeweller’s new store within Selfridges, inspired by its Fifth Avenue flagship in New York.

selfridges.com, tiffany.com

Deck the halls with our array of Christmas baubles and decorations for fashion lovers, made to add a sartorial flourish to your tree as the festive season gathers steam. From Celine’s ‘Triomphe’ baubles – recalling the shape of the Parisian house’s famed monogram – to sleek monochrome glass spheres from Prada, an array of designer adornments to gift or treasure yourself. 

The best Christmas baubles for fashion lovers

Celine

Celine’s double-C ‘Triomphe’ monogram – originally inspired by the lines of Paris’ Arc de Triomphe – has become one of the defining symbols of Hedi Slimane’s tenure at the house. Invest in this trio of golden hand-painted baubles for a truly luxurious adornment to your Christmas tree. Another set includes a miniature perfume bottle and a black Celine handbag (top).

celine.com

Prada

Fans of the Milanese house will delight in this pair of monochrome glass baubles, decorated with bold geometric prints which feel synonymous with the house. Each one is finished with the Prada logo, and can also be purchased solo.

prada.com

Dior 

A magical trio of baubles from Dior, which draw inspiration from Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Cruise 2023 show, held in Seville earlier this year. Hand-blown from French crystal and etched with delicate motifs, these transparent spheres are encased in a richly illustrated box. 

dior.com

Selfridges

One for the retail addicts. Selfridges have released an array of Christmas ornaments evocative of their symbolic products, including this miniature version of the British department store’s instantly recognisable yellow shopping bag – complete with piles of sparkling gifts inside.

selfridges.com

More Joy by Christopher Kane

Christopher Kane’s playful More Joy collection now spans an array of items – from clothing to key rings to mugs, to recent collaborations with Le Specs and musician Elton John. Ready for Christmas is a trio of red, black and white baubles emblazoned with the offshoot’s various slogans: ‘More Joy’, ‘Sex’ and ‘Special’. 

christopherkane.com

Paul Smith

This Paul Smith bauble – in the designer’s recognisable house stripes – adds an unconventional twist of colour to your Christmas tree (a welcome alternative to the usual festive palette of green, red and cold). Each bauble is hand-painted and comes presented in a Paul Smith padded gift box. 

paulsmith.com

Fendi

This year marked 25 years of the Fendi Baguette handbag – perhaps the noughties it bag. Accessorise your Christmas tree with this clear glass bauble from the Roman house, filled with a shimmering miniature version of the bag. 

fendi.com

The iconic, bulbous blue and silver facade of Selfridges Birmingham has been transformed into something altogether more otherworldly. This is the work of multidisciplinary artist

Osman Yousefzada, whose vast new installation, Infinity Pattern 1 measures in at 10,000 sq m, and weighs five tonnes.

The piece – co-commissioned with Ikon gallery – comprises an endlessly tessellating pattern of angular pink and black shapes, addressing themes of migration, race and labour. Beyond a striking public art installation, and a dramatic new landmark for Birmingham’s Bullring, Infinity Pattern 1 is also a record-breaker, taking the title of the ‘world's largest canvas’. 

For Yousefzada, who is Birmingham-born, and the son of Pakistani-Afghan migrants, the work is steeped in biography but also holds universal resonance. In its infinitely tessellating pattern, it imagines a world without borders. ‘The work is entrenched in autoethnographic elements of migration, community formation and how they happen, interact and settle,’ says Yousefzada. ‘The work reflects my personal story and more widely my ethnic history and some of the symbolism inherent to my culture.’

Continuing Selfridges’ commitment to creativity in the cities its stores inhabit, the commission – in situ until the end of 2021 – is accompanied by an in-store art exhibition, shop and art trail all co-designed and co-curated with Ikon. These elements and expand on the subjects raised by Infinity Pattern 1, featuring further new works by Yousefzada, and pieces by Birmingham artists Hira Butt, Farwa Moledina and Maryam Wahid. 

Yousefzada's additional work – anchored by a series of mixed-media works on paper – was developed through a recent residency at Birmingham's School of Art in Fine Art Printmaking and Sculpture. The new pieces challenge the stereotypes of ‘The Model Migrant’ and the perception of Brown Bodies in the Western world. 

Selfridges creative director, Hannah Emslie said: ‘Selfridges is celebrating the communities of Birmingham through a unique art commission that represents both optimism and transformation. This new work by Osman Yousefzada is uplifting but also meaningful and deeply connected to the fabric and culture of the city. By changing the skyline – at a time when the city itself is changing – we hope to make the world brighter through creative expression, and the people of Birmingham even prouder of their iconic city.’

Osman Yousefzada shares his ode to Birmingham, the city that shaped him

INFORMATION
selfridges.com/osman

ADDRESS

Selfridges Birmingham
Bullring & Grand Central
4 Moor St, Birmingham B5 4BU

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Dior at Alto restaurant, Selfridges. Photography: Melvyn Vincent. Sceneography film courtesy of Dior

Ah the fantasy of the French Riviera: dipping your toes into soft sand, views of a sparkling sea, the anticipation of a thirst-quenching cocktail. For many, the chance of settling onto a sun lounger in St Tropez still feels remote, but for lucky Londoners, Dior's Dioriviera capsule collection – an offering of holiday-ready clothing and accessories – is coming to Selfridges in central London.

Getting us in #OOO mode, Dior’s Dioriviera pop-up shop features a host of getaway-ready pieces, spanning clothing, accessories and poolside essentials. These have all been imagined in zingy shades or swathed in zesty takes on the Paris maison’s signature toile de Jouy fabric. Think playful bat-and-ball sets, visors and fans, alongside espadrilles, tote bags and AirPods cases: all the finest fashionable fare for a day at the beach, be it in Forte dei Marmi or Mykonos. Thankfully, for those grounded by the pandemic, it’s all equally fitting and fabulous for the local park or lido. And if Dioriviera's surfboard and skateboard aren’t sufficient transports of delight, the label has also launched its first, La Dolce Vita-celebrating Vespa, featuring a signature Dior Oblique logo saddle and matching helmet and top case.

A taste of St Tropez wouldn't be complete without an element of culinary indulgence. In celebration of the Dioriviera pop-up, Dior has also taken over Selfridges’ rooftop Alto restaurant, festooning its interior with toile de Jouy prints and serving up dishes that were favourites of Monsieur Dior himself. Think delectable offerings such as a Lobster Roll, Beetroot Carpaccio and a Plateau de Fruits de Mer, alongside refreshing bespoke cocktails, including the Vespa Martini, The Bar Jacket and the J'Adior Selfridges.

INFORMATION

Pop-up store open until 30 July, Dior at Alto restaurant open from 3 June to 30 September 30, the bar from 1 August 30 2021. dior.com; selfridges.com

After collaborating with the likes of Bottega Veneta and Burberry, Alex Pagenelli (who goes by the witty alias DeadHungry) will be taking over Selfridges Cinema for a one-off cinematic dining experience.

With an impressive background as a chef, photography has also long been a passion of Pagenelli’s. Now he merges both, creating sensory feasts that look as exciting as they taste. Taking visual inspiration from vintage film posters, camp 1970s cinema, horror movies, sci-fi films and westerns.

The chef-meets-artist tells us, ‘when designing dishes, I love taking a well-known menu concept – such as classic cinema food – and from there experimenting with new flavour combinations and unexpected ingredients.'

‘The first dish is a savoury cotton candy – I love the texture and it’s fun to eat, but by switching up the flavours, this simple sweet treat becomes a refined starter. From the plant-based hotdog, to the sweet truffle popcorn and natural fruit candies, each course explores foods that are a quintessential part of the cinema-going experience, in new and interesting ways.'

For a cinema experience far removed from sticky carpets and creaking seats, Selfridges state-of-the-art sound and vision technologies ensure a world-class viewing experience. To compliment DeadHungry’s plant-based four-course tasting experience, a short film will follow of iconic food scenes in cinema.

The experience doesn't end there, however, as guests will also be able to take away a bag of DeadHungry’s natural sour candies, created by preserving citrus in sugar for several days until you’re left with delicious sour sweets, reminiscent of childhood favorites.

INFORMATION

selfridges.com
deadhungry.co

While galleries remain closed, and the streets of London remain hushed and subdued, a photography exhibition is breathing new life into the city’s retail heart. ‘A Return to Nature’ is a joint outdoor show by photographers Marco Kesseler and Cameron Bensley and is displayed across Selfridges’ flagship store windows. 

The exhibition celebrates the beauty and fragility of the natural world, our relationship with it, and sparks a dialogue around the impacts of climate change.

The work of British photographer Marco Kesseler is deeply entwined with social engagement. His series Polytunnel delves into the concealed landscape of agricultural food production spaces and creates tensions between chaos and control; artificial and environmental. 

Shot in locations such as Devon and the Midlands, Kessler the series charts the different stages of the agricultural calendar, documenting the cycle of planting, growing, harvesting and lying fallow. Here, plastic polytunnels and the tightly-controlled cultivation process within are juxtaposed with unruly natural surroundings. In these ethereal images, which zoom in on the peripheral elements of agricultural production, nature ruptures the plastic shrouds and establishes itself in structural cracks - allegories of environmental resilience against harmful human interventions. 

On Selfridges’ Orchard and Duke Street windows, London-based Cameron Bensley confronts both the potent power of the global natural world and its fragility under the grips of global warming. Bensley, who also works as an in-house fashion photographer at Selfridges, took to imposing natural landscapes under threat, such glaciers shielded by thermal sheeting. 

‘A Return to Nature’ is both a celebration of the natural world and a plea for its conservation. The exhibition – which is also available to view online – offers city dwellers a chance to embrace the great outdoors while the city’s busiest street remains fallow.

INFORMATION

‘A Return to Nature’ will be on view online and in the windows of Selfridges, London until the store reopens. selfridges.com

marcokesseler.com

cameronbensley.com

ADDRESS

400 Oxford St
London W1A 1AB

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Today, augmented reality, which means taking digital elements and overlaying them over the physical self, is rapidly redefining the beauty-scape — with creatives, brands and retailers now blurring the boundaries between fantasy and reality more than ever before.

‘I wanted to create my own vision of beauty from the future,' explains 3D-makeup artist Ines Alpha, whose clients include Dior and Selfridges. ‘It’s pretty new that we’re using 3D and digital elements as makeup. I consider makeup to be something that transforms your face, be it an Instagram filter or what I do. It’s how makeup has been used since the Egyptians: enabling humans to transform into a character.'

The rise of the ‘digital double' could also help form hybrid, and less prescriptive beauty standards. Parisian-based makeup artist Cécile Paravina, who recently worked on a project in collaboration with Frederik Heyman – involving 3D scanning and adding elements of styling, hair and makeup post-production in order to push the aesthetic – is excited about the new ways of consuming beauty, where the IRL and URL self coexist. Paravina says AR could be a powerful tool for brands to ‘offer guidance and knowledge to those who want to experiment with their visual identity; be it a physical or a virtual one.' 

‘At some point in the near future everyone will want to try on makeup using augmented reality before buying it,' agrees Jonathan Chippindale, CEO of digital studio Holition. ‘For instance, we created an AR magic mirror for Charlotte Tilbury, where you can see yourself wearing any of her looks in store and dial them up or down, depending on the intensity. A lot of this is about trying to understand everyone at an individual level – because we’re all different.'

Even the biggest names in beauty have taken note of the trend and are already making their first forays into tech. L’Oreal’s Perso, launching globally in 2021, is an AI device that analyses your skincare needs to create personalized products on the spot. Elsewhere, Sephora’s ‘Virtual Artist’ mirror simulates makeup on a person's face. ‘I think it's effective for colour makeup like lipsticks but trickier for categories like mascara,' says retail editor Kati Chitrakorn, who trialed Sephora’s new ‘try-on’ technology in Los Angeles last summer. ‘These new forms of data give brands the opportunity to understand their customer in a deeper way. The biggest challenge for brands, however, is making sure there's real value in the experience.' 

So, what does the changing face of beauty look like in, say 30 years time? ‘It is possible new and old ideals of beauty will ultimately blend and influence one another,' Cécile predicts. ‘Masahiro Mori’s Uncanny Valley could be the next aesthetic canon.'

At Selfridges in London, the three-month long Future Fantasy campaign is going through a lunar phase, and it looks like there's new moon on the horizon.

New York-based artist Daniel Arsham has teamed up with the London department store on ‘The House by Daniel Arsham’ – an installation that contains a series of limited-edition pieces, each questioning the reality of how familiar products of today might look like if they were rediscovered in the future.

One of our favourites is the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay A9 speaker, which uses the image of a blue moon derived from Arsham’s original bubble-textured oil painting and his fascination with outer space. Well rounded in shape, as well as sound, Bang & Olufsen’s familiar trio legs are revamped in white stained oak, while an anodised aluminium ring serves as a literal silver lining.

Other brand collaborations include a seven-piece ready-to-wear collection with A-Cold-Wall*; a Rimowa x Daniel Arsham Eroded Attache and even an Arsham-adapted tin of Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup. Each object ties into The House concept situated on the ground floor, where visitors can explore Arsham's pieces placed in the familar settings of a front yard, kitchen, living and office space.

Widely recognised as one of the most powerful home speakers, Active Room Compensation provides haptic feedback, optimising sound performance depending on the speakers surroundings. Additionally, seven full range drivers pack a punch, providing an impressive soundscape in every room of the house.

Google Assistant is on hand (or rather, off) to control the speaker by the users voice, while physical hand gestures across the surface of the speaker have the capacity to change volume, skip, play and pause.

INFORMATION
bang-olufsen.com

danielarsham.com

selfridges.com

Eagle-eyed shoppers might have already noticed a sleek new minimalist box on the Selfridges block in the heart of London; David Chipperfield's new entrance scheme on Duke Street for the landmark department store has just been completed and opened to the public. 

The project, which started in 2014 and spans some 5,000 sq m, consists of the entire east wing on the ground level and was designed to not only unite Selfridges’ two historic buildings, but also create a brand new continuous floor plan for the store's new accessories hall. 

Combining old and new in a coherent, functional and aesthetically pleasing way is no mean feat; but it is an area in which Chipperfield excels. It's not that long ago that the celebrated London architect launched his design for the Royal Academy of Arts' expansion to wide acclaim, while projects such as the Neues Museum in Berlin were key in cementing his reputation in the field. More coveted commissions, such as the renovation of Mies van der Rohe's famous Neue Nationalgalerie in the German capital are currently in the works.

For the Selfridges project, the challenge involved bringing together the venue's original, grand, beaux-arts style building and its 1930s somewhat more sober art deco addition, through a contemporary element that is as discreet as it is fitting. Chipperfield's architectural slight of hand easily negotiates the different styles, offering much needed floorspace for retail, as well as clarity in circulation as a whole. 

‘Selfridges has a deep understanding of the architectural heritage and urban presence of the department store, as well as a clear vision for the future of luxury retail', says the architect. 'Our task was to unite these elements while stitching together various buildings along Duke Street. Externally, we have sought to reinforce the civic function of the store with a grand new entrance. Internally, we have established a sense of coherence between the brand concessions, and reasserted a hierarchy under the strong neo-classical architectural elements of the original building.’

INFORMATION

For more information visit the website of David Chipperfield Architects

Selfridges has embraced its radical alter-ego in The Flipside, a side-stepping new exhibition aiming to define contemporary – and future – concepts of ‘radical luxury’. Housed a few steps from the department store’s storied, bright-white Accessories Hall, which was overhauled last year, is The Old Selfridges Hotel, a concrete maze of darkened rooms, activated by luxury technology, fashion and fragrance houses into a disorientating dystopia.

The Flipside takes notes from the Accessories Hall and turns them on their head. An antithesis of the Hall’s clean-cut aesthetic, with its half-moon shaped bar and distinctive, calming orb lighting, The Flipside employs high gloss black flooring, a multitude of mirrors, and neon strips that puncture the darkness. It’s as if, Stranger Things-style, we’ve slipped into the Upside Down.

Alongside installations by Louis Vuitton, Loewe and Thom Browne, Gareth Pugh presents a self-portrait film displayed on a corridor of mirrored screens, and Byredo looks to a future where fresh water will be a precious scarcity, through a collection of large, empty water butts, which echo the silhouette of its famous fragrance vessel. Elsewhere, Google has created a photobooth installation, where guests take selfies framed by their own definitions of luxury, showcasing the Pixel 2’s low-light abilities. The exhibition cumulates (via a fragrant make-your-own personalised cocktail room called The Libationary) atop a giant sundial, created by Selfridges in-house design team, where we are asked to contemplate the most in-demand of luxuries – time.

The Flipside is the second stop on Selfridges ongoing ‘radical luxury’ campaign trail, the most ambitious in its 109 year history. It launched earlier this month with a 60 second art-film, currently playing in cinemas across the country – the first film advert from the department store in 40 years. We also look forward to The Flipside hosting contemporary dance performances and panel discussions, all of which will attempt to define, question and dissect radicalism in the age of luxury.

INFORMATION

Until 20 May. For more information, visit the Selfridges website

Cambridge-based chocolatier Harry Specters opened its doors in 2012 with an aim of providing employment, training, workshops and free mentoring for youths with autism, inspiring confidence and hope. This Easter, it celebrates the outstanding work of its team through the Egg-ism egg, raising awareness and promoting inclusion and acceptance of the 700,000 people in the UK with autism. Carefully hand-painted with cocoa butter using natural food colour onto a creamy white chocolate, the egg comes hand-wrapped with a ribbon and swing tag. 60% of the company’s profits are reserved for its ever-developing social objectives.

Inspired by the exotic Hoopoe bird, London’s Artisan du Chocolat has produced a springtime chest of chocolate goodies. A hand-crafted egg (available in milk and dark chocolate) sits atop the geometrically patterned chest, with a drawer of assorted fresh coutures, mini eggs and a shimmering pearl making this treasure worth digging for.

2018 marks the 150th anniversary of California-based chocolate company Guittard. To celebrate, British chocolatier Paul A Young has developed the especially attractive Machu Picchu Signature Egg, made from Guittard 65% Peruvian Dark Chocolate and hand-painted in a colourful metallic palate. Only 10 of these eggs are available, and each is accompanied by nine truffles made from the rare anniversary blend.

This Easter at Bulgari Hotel London, the traditional chocolate egg has been reimagined into a delicate work of art – an edible homage to the opulent Bulgari brand. Handcrafted in house, the 70 per cent dark chocolate shell sits on a base of blended cereals and melted chocolate, secretly enclosing a studded ‘mendiant’ of dried fruits, a delicious blend of apricot, cranberries and raisins.

David Bowie’s long-reigning glam influence has been channelled into luxury chocolate form, courtesy of Brandon Olsen of CXBO’s ‘Ziggy Stardust Disco Egg’. A French chocolate shell, lined with unique flavour combinations including coffee, apricot and ancho chilli, houses dark chocolate truffles and aerated milk and white chocolate chunks. 

Harrods has taken its Easter-cues from a distinctly mid-century palate this year, with an understated blue and brown 2D ‘flat’ egg, that wouldn’t look out of place on an Alvar Aalto kitchen table. Whipped up by Harrods’ head pastry chef Alistair Birt (of World Chocolate Master fame), a chocolate sponge base is sprinkled with muscavado salted caramel, and topped with extravagent dark chocolate mousse.

Pierre Herme’s 2018 offering is the particularly glitzy Oeuf Fragments egg. A polished surface, made from Pure Origin dark chocolate from the Xibun plantation in Belize (available in cocoa, signature milk chocolate and blond chocolate) covers a shining golden egg – a truly ‘looks too good to eat’ treat.

Pierre Marcolini’s Easter accolades have always been particularly playful, and this year’s Mystery Eggs keep the fun going. Inside the maison dark and white chocolate eggs, six different flavours of mini eggs can be found – pistachio praline, extreme fondant and milk chocolate nougat praline just three of the six findable flavours.

Claridge’s returns each year with its Easter classic, which embodies the timeless glamour and art deco heritage of its hotel lobby. Pastry chef Yago Doamo used dark, white and milk Valrhona chocolate for the eggs, each filled with hand-made chocolate praline quail eggs and wrapped by hand in eau de nil coloured boxes.

One of Godiva’s 2018 Easter offerings is the POP collection, a range of individually wrapped mini-eggs available in a variety of flavours. Particular favourites are the Noir Vanille (pictured), a dark chocolate shell with sweet vanilla flavoured ganache, and the Lait Praliné, a milk chocolate shell filled with smooth hazelnut praline.

Selfridges called upon the wise counsel of The Chocolate Society in the design of its incredibly limited-edition 2018 egg. Entirely hand crafted and painted in a colourful confetti-splatter design in Somerset, multi-award-winning chocolatier Al Garnsworthy imbued a Wonka-worthy level of artistry into the egg, available exclusively at Selfridges.

This year, Hotel Café Royal called upon its lauded pastry chef Sarah Barber to design its egg. Hand crafted and glazed with the finest Valrhona chocolate (renowned for its aromatic profiles and rare cocoa bean flavours), the egg is sprayed in rogue cocoa butter, and houses white chocolates and raspberry truffles.

Film director and artist Miranda July is going to great – if unconventional – lengths to celebrate one of London’s great unsung heroes: the local charity shop. ‘Nowhere else I know in the world has such an eclectic and diverse array of charity shops,’ she says. ‘There’s so much hope in that.’

Housed in the unlikely location of London’s temple of transactions – Selfridges – the off-beat artist’s interfaith store assembles a random mix of wares from four local London charities: the Norwood Jewish Charity Shop; London Buddhist Centre Charity Shop; Spitalfields Crypt Trust; and Islamic Relief. Bobbly jumpers sit side by side with costume jewellery, furry photo frames hang next to headscarves.

And she’s calling it ‘art’. ‘The wonderful thing is, that this installation is not art on the surface,’ she explains. ‘So many people coming in won't be thinking of it that way. That will be one of the most fun things about it.’

This is shopping; it's light and fun. But there’s also an underlying gravitas. Flying out of a post-Trump America, and into a post-Brexit Britain, the interfaith aspect was essential for LA-based July. ‘We’d all be so offended if there was just, say, one Christian charity shop present. It needs to invite everyone, as the store does.’

Working from across the pond, she relied on Google (along with hazy memories of hunting through bargain bins when living in London in her 20s) when researching which stores to involve. ‘I Googled “charity shops UK” and Islamic Relief popped out,’ she explains. ‘It may not jump out to you, but as an American, we couldn’t have an Islamic Relief charity shop. There’s not a big enough Muslim population. And people just wouldn’t have it. For me, there’s a comfort in a mosque just being on a logo.’

The concept actor, who often draws intimately from personal experience, applied the same ‘deep-dive’ techniques when conceptualising her charity boutique. ‘At one point, it hit me. What does “charity” actually mean?’ she says. To understand the concept more fully, July met with different religious leaders.

One was Rabi Gluck, a prominent figure in London’s interfaith movement. ‘He said to me, “In my tradition, the meaning of charity is to give enough so that they, in turn, will have enough to give to someone else.” Charity is a human right. The ability to help some one else is what makes you human.’

The team at Selfridges responded to this concept with aplomb, and allowed July free reign to design the store as she wished. ‘They understand that's how we'd achieve the best result,’ she explains.

She hopes that her low-priced pop-up will attract a different audience to Selfridges, as well as offering the normal clientele an eye-opening alternative option. She’s disrupting the mindlessness we often fall into when shopping. ‘You go into a store, you make a choice, you pick something that reflects you,’ she says. ‘Sometimes, you go into a little room and take off all your clothes, having just walked in off the street! You look at yourself, think about yourself, who you are, what you can spend. Then you give a stranger money behind the till.’

These are more than just Trainspotting-esque musings on life’s little mundanities. July is fascinated by the apparent absurdity of the shopping process. ‘It’s something everyone does everyday,’ she says. ‘We already know how to do it, we don’t have to explain the rules.’ Her pop-up is a way of creating a consumer experience that has meaning enough to shake up our daily performances, transforming them into something elevated, meaningful, considered.

Or not. ‘It’s ultimately up to the viewer, as in any piece of art, if they find meaning in it,’ July explains. We certainly do. She uses the high profile nature of the Bond Street location to propel us into thought, playing on one of the city's ubiquitous pastimes, July is selling us a complex, performative artistic idea in a package we can all buy into.

INFORMATION

The Interfaith Charity Shop is open until 22 October. For more information, visit the Artangel website and Miranda July website

ADDRESS

Selfridges
400 Oxford Street
London W1A 1AB

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

As the boundaries between streetwear and designer fashion continue to blur on the runway, Selfridges’ latest concept space addresses a consumer who wants to buy their cult-issue Vetements bomber alongside an original Champion tee.

The department store’s new third floor Designer Studio (the latest launch from Selfridges’ £300 million regeneration project), is a fluid space that follows in the footsteps of retail disruptors like Dover Street Market by allowing its designers to weight in on their fit-outs, which are themselves conceived to be transformative and adaptable to fashion’s feverish pace.

‘With the concept for the new Designer Studio, we have considered the flexible future of fashion,’ explains buying director, Sebastian Manes of the space that is modeled after a contemporary art gallery. ‘From rethought and unexpected brand adjacencies to a completely fluid retail configuration framed by architectural installations that create focus, through to the breakdown of gender-definition in the way we are approaching ready-to-wear – this is a progressive move forward in the way we buy, present and think about fashion.’

Selfridges enlisted Campaign to conceive the 17,200 sq ft gallery, christened the ‘Theatre of Forces’, which will be completed in October. The minimal, loft-like space is dominated by newly exposed columns, raw brickwork and concrete-effect tiling, while natural light has been reclaimed by opening up huge picture windows that overlook Oxford Street. Custom made display cases have been created using recycled plastics to showcase knitwear, accessories and an arty edit of Claire de Rouen tomes.

However, as Manes explains, the real rethink is evident in the Studio’s unexpected brand adjacencies (think Craig Green, 3.1 Phillip Lim and Off/White rubbing shoulders) and a series of architectural ‘follies’ conceived by creative collaborators including Anna Lomax, Patternity and Gary Card, which punctuate the area.

Card’s crash-landed meteorite installation currently houses a Kenzo concession, while other shop-in-shops include JW Anderson, Joseph, Christopher Kane and Vetements. The latter has worked with art director Patrick Waugh on a collaged backdrop that’s still a work in progress, while in the fore, movable racks have been salvaged from Selfridges’ back of house in line with the pragmatic spirit of the brand. In another corner Artisan have created an optical installation that’s currently dedicated to pop culture sieve Moschino.

But in addition to these headline acts, the Studio’s edit also includes a wealth of fresh faces (note Aalto, Le Kilt and new Berlin knitwear brand PLYS). In fact 29 out of the department’s 67 brands are new, with many featured in its unisex T Shirt Shop, which has been curated in collaboration with Asian retailer i.t. This ‘follie’ has been designed by pattern specialist Patternity working with a converging yin and yang concept that houses over 150 tee and sweatshirt designs.

This youthful spirit has been extended to the Studio’s change rooms where curtains featuring aerial landscapes provide jazzy ‘selfie’ backdrops – selfie sticks are, of course, on hand in each room. The Studio’s soundtrack has also been customised by its designers, while the volume is pitched at a noticeably higher octane than in other parts of the store, adding to its energetic vibe.

Just as unbeatable is its location. Surrounded by the store's Denim, Contemporary and new Body Studio departments, the Designer Studio is similarly accessible via an escalator that pops up from the second floor East Gallery – land of Céline and Comme des Garçons – reinforcing the progressive way that Selfridges’ fashion-savvy consumer is currently shopping.

A unisex T Shirt Shop has been curated in collaboration with Asian retailer i.t. This ‘follie’ has been designed by pattern specialist Patternity working with a converging monochromatic yin and yang concept, and housing over 150 tee and sweatshirt designs

Manes adds, 'From rethought and unexpected brand adjacencies to a completely fluid retail configuration framed by architectural installations that create focus, through to the breakdown of gender-definition in the way we are approaching ready-to-wear – this is a progressive move forward in the way we buy, present and think about fashion'

Surrounded by the store's Denim, Contemporary and new Body Studio departments, the Designer Studio is also accessible via an escalator that pops up from the East Gallery downstairs, reinforcing the progressive way that Selfridges’ fashion-savvy consumer is currently shopping

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Selfridge’s website

ADDRESS

400 Oxford Street, Marylebone, London W1U

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From chocolatier Pierre Marcolini and fashion house Peter Pilotto comes a collaboration hoping to reinvent the visual rules of haute chocolaterie.

For Marcolini, chocolate has always been much more than a sweet treat; it is ‘an invitation on a journey that involves selecting the finest chocolate beans sourced from the four corners of the globe’.

In this new joint venture, Peter Pilotto – the fashion house comprised of designer-duo Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos – conceived a Rubik’s cube-style box for the upmarket confectioners. Having met at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Pilotto and De Vos later founded their company in London, developing a distinct graphic aesthetic that has become their signature style. The multi-coloured pattern adorning the Pierre Marcolini packaging is unique to the Peter Pilotto brand, aiming to take traditional techniques and reinterpreting them as modern textures.

Though the collection may come in packaging seemingly more at home in a children’s playground, it comprises a superior selection of chocolates. The bright exterior colours merely reflect the vibrancy of what lies inside: heart-shaped cœurs in flavours including lemon, passion fruit, pistachio praline, nougat praline, salted caramel and raspberry, plus classic pralines and Grand Cru chocolates.

The joint effort, although idiosyncratic, represents a crossing of creative paths in pursuit of palatable perfection.

INFORMATION

Available from Maison Pierre Marcolini, Selfridges and Harrods, from 8 April. For more information, visit Pierre Marcolini’s website

Selfridges is reworking the retail lipstick effect within its new 37,000 sq ft Body Studio, which will see the store’s lowest value apparel make up its largest department.

Designed by Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu of Neri & Hu, the free-flowing third floor concept space that unites women’s leisurewear, lingerie, lounge and sleepwear, swim and hosiery, is a refreshing break from the typical boudoir clichés and comes flooded with natural light.

‘Our primary objective was to create a fresh and vibrant space,’ explains Lyndon Neri, whose studio is based between London and Shanghai. ‘These kinds of spaces are often designed in two extreme spectrums. One being the over rich luxurious “boudoir type” aesthetic and at the opposite end, a strategy of a very utilitarian almost no design “storage like” display is used. We wanted to transform what was a low space into a sanctum for the merchandise that is presented there and for the women who shop the space.’

The architectural duo (named Wallpaper* 2014 Designers of the Year) have also imagined all of the studio’s fixtures, which differentiate each product category, leading from loungewear’s terrazzo walkways and brass detailing to lingerie’s oak and walnut flooring and lacquered paneling. ‘We created a series of rooms with different play of materials responding to the different qualities of the products,’ continues Rossana Hu. ‘A progression of spaces that shift in atmosphere, light and materiality while playing with notions of private and the public; from the intimate and personal to the overt and playful.’

The raw finishes of the swim section, merchandised into Tulum, Mustique and Coachella for S/S 2016, seamlessly merge with the plusher confides of the carpeted tights bar and Fit Studio – manned by dedicated sizing experts. (Not only has Selfridges doubled its lingerie space, it has also beefed up staff by 60 per cent, reinforcing a growth category, which has already seen numbers increase by 300 per cent in the past two years.)

Also in the Body Studio mix are concessions for Agent Provocateur and La Perla, along with a new Daniel Galvin hair salon and the Hemsley sister’s first café concept Hemsley + Hemsley. ‘We’ve taken a layered approach to space with custom furniture and display fixture specifically made for each area,' adds Hu. 'These blur the boundaries blurred between modern and classical, inside and outside, light and dark, with an overarching architecture outline that ties the Studio as a whole.'

The Body Studio is the latest addition to Selfridges’ five-year, £300 million refit, which includes a grand new entrance on Duke Street that’s currently in the hands of David Chipperfield and slated to open in October of this year.

As Harvey Nichols plans to unveil its new look men’s concept space in Knightsbridge later this week, there is no rest for the department store wars, that are morphing into contemporary design showcases for the viewing pleasure of their customers.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Selfridges website and Neri & Hu’s website

Photography courtesy Selfridges

It’s that time of year when the majority of us start to get excited about the Christmas countdown – even if we don’t always like to admit it. Whether we openly embrace the Christmas spirit or opt for a discreet celebration, there is no reason not to start the Christmas countdown this year in style. And so we have rounded up this year’s cream of the crop, the best advent calendars to lead us through December. From beauty products to truffle chocolates, this year’s selection will be sure to suit every taste. (Even those who favour a good old fashion wooden calendar.)

A 3D work of art, The Christian Lacroix ‘Shaman Night’ advent calendar by Libretto is sure to impress. Featuring a striking center pop-up with four unique characters — Zebra Girl, Shaman, Jungle Leo, and Wild Bird — and surrounded by panels that expand into a four foot long tableau. Along the tableau you’ll find the pop-up windows for the twent-four days before Christmas, and it all conveniently folds into a smart hardback folio - the perfect calendar to be brought out in anticipation year after year.

For those of us who prefer a sweet treat to indulge in (it is Christmas after all) the Harrods Brompton Road advent calendar, filled with Harrods Couverture Truffles, is a sure choice.

For a festive tiple, The Gin Foundary has teamed up with the Drinks by the Dram team to bring us the Ginvent Calendar. A gin-filled advent calendar featuring award-winning spririts from top distilleries. Behind each of the windows you’ll find a sample of gin.

For a more feminine Christmas countdown, there’s plenty of choice. The Beauty Workshop calendar by Selfridges, containing twenty four exciting products; Charlotte Tilbury's Book of Makeup Magic, made up of twelve make up cabinets, each containing a travel or full size product from the iconic collection; or the calendar from Diptyque, featuring a selection of mini candles, hand creams and fragrances.

Finally, for those who still prefer to fall back to the classic advent calendar, Fortnum & Mason, of course, does not disappoint. The traditional Christmas tree calendar has twenty-four little doors, behind which a small gift or chocolate can be hidden. Alternatively, a slightly more musical choice – a wooden advent calendar, decorated with the facade of Fortnum’s Piccadilly store – plays a different Christmas tune upon opening each of its little doors.

With all the choice there’s no excuse not to be prepared this year...

Green tea stimulates the brain in the same way as yoga. What effect then, we wonder, will Noa have on the brain, given the fact that just one bottle has the equivalent amount of green tea extract that you would get in 15 regular cups of the stuff?

Noa Fridmark, the founder of Noa Relaxation, left a high-powered career to find peace on an island in the Stockholm archipelago. Since then, he claims to have captured the relaxation he experienced there in drinkable liquid form, using the ubiquitous active ingredients of lemon balm and green tea. He backs up his research with scientific studies about the effects of his ingredients, all of which are cited on his website.

Noa's drinks are set to launch at Selfridges this autumn – a UK debut that comes since receiving the award for 'Best Premium Drink' at the World Beverage Innovation Awards in 2014. There are also plans to launch in Ireland very soon.

The industry of natural relaxation drinks has boomed in response to an increasing prominence of caffeinated energy drinks in the market. Noa is designed with calm in mind, in contrast to the more medicinal designs of Dream Water, or the Californian brand Just Chill (which looks like an energy drink itself). A collaboration between Swedish design companies Super Tuesday and No Picnic, the frosted glass design of Noa's bottle makes it more chic than many of its counterparts. This is complemented by delicate illustrations of the key ingredients for each flavour, which comprise Elderflower & Rhubarb and Blueberry & Birch Sap. 

Those of us who aren't lucky enough to enjoy sedentry island living may not have time for the equivalent amount of calming green tea, but no need to stress: one bottle of Noa should do the trick.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit Noa

The department store of the future just opened its doors. Located at the back of London’s Selfridges, Multiplex is the brainchild of designer Tom Dixon, who gathered an impressive list of friends, companies and colleagues (Wallpaper* included) to present his alternative retail concept.

Dixon took residence at the Old Selfridges Hotel, a disused and derelict venue that he cleverly made over with shiny foil in the style of Andy Warhol’s factory (Dixon admitted owing a huge debt to Warhol for aesthetic inspiration). The department store will be a one-month pop-up covering London’s creative calendar: making its debut with London Fashion Week, it will stay open during London Design Festival and the British Film Festival, closing its doors right after Frieze Art Fair in mid-October.

The store is part immersive installation, part multi-sensory experience, visually inspired by a 1970s adventure playground and a space station, and featuring all the expected store departments, selling design, fashion, beauty and technology, with a food hall curated by Milan-based Arabeschi di Latte. ‘London [retail] history is not much the big international luxury flagships,’ explains Dixon, ‘it is more Kensington Market or Portobello Road, and there is something about that energy that still exists in London, mainly in the East End and in south London. What was amazing was to try to think of something that mixes up the different creative tribes in London. I wanted to do something that has many layers – that’s why we call it Multiplex.’

Over an inception period of eight weeks (although conversations with Selfridges began two years ago), Dixon congregated the diverse family of 30 brands which are now part of this ambitious project. From big-ticket backers Sony and Aston Martin, to independent entities such as natural fragrance company Haeckels and Swedish music technology brand Teenage Engineering, each collaborator brought something intriguing to the conversation, creating a multi-layered network that encompasses art, design, technology and fashion under one dynamic roof. The London/New York-based Spring Studios have also set up a photographic space at the back of the store, available to companies and magazines for photoshoots, while Wallpaper’s own 8,000-year-old oak bar, designed by architect Sally Mackereth for this year’s Wallpaper* Handmade exhibition, will offer Royal Salute whisky tastings throughout the month.

‘Keeping a brand as an island is an old-fashioned concept,’ said Dixon, talking about the vast list of companies collaborating with him on Multiplex, but also alluding to the lauded furniture, lighting and accessories label he launched 12 years ago. ‘The modern world is really about the network, and about how broad and deep that is,’ he continues. ‘Here, we have made a whole network of new and old friends coming from different worlds – how they overlap, how they work together and the new connection they make will make them more powerful.’

INFORMATION

Multiplex is open until 15 October

ADDRESS

Multiplex
The Old Selfridges Hotel
1 Orchard street
London, W1U 1QZ

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When we first road-tested the Apple Watch in Milan earlier this year, it seemed the brand had – almost impossibly – outdone itself. But then again, Apple products seem to take a life of their own, growing in extraordinary and unexpected ways with each iteration. From today, Apple devotees in London will see this ethos realised to full effect, where the tech giant has taken over all 24 of Selfridges’ iconic windows with a blossoming floral installation that brings the Apple Watch to life.

Adopting the smartwatch's UI design, the installation is made from flowers ranging from 200mm to 1.8m in height, all featuring a unique configuration of the Apple Watch – including Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition.

The latest instalment follows on in a similar vein from Apple’s previous displays, ‘Butterflies’ and ‘Chromosphere’, at the historic British department store. Conceived to mark the opening of Apple’s store-within-a-store concept at Selfridges in April, the series draws inspiration from the Apple Watch experience by transforming its faces into creative installations.

Here, a range of blooming flowers (including yellow poppies, especially fitting for Selfridges) were photographed in stop-motion, with some flowers requiring more than 24,000 shots over 285 hours. For the windows, all eight variations of flowers have been scaled and hand-painted by artists, the sculpting process as equally painstaking and meticulous as the original photography.

The ambitious installation comprises a remarkable 24 large, 50 medium and 5,525 small flowers, plus 240 slightly larger 'small-plus’ flowers, each created via different methods. For example, the large and medium flowers were crafted from cast resin, while the smaller components were 3D printed.

‘We are thrilled that the flowers of the Apple Watch face have inspired such a beautiful design and to see it come to life in this amazing installation, reflected in all 24 of Selfridges’ historic windows,’ says Paul Deneve, Apple’s vice president of special projects.

Since Selfridges first launched its window displays in 1909 (a recreation of scenes from paintings by Antoine Watteau and Jean-Honoré Fragonard), it's the first and only time all of its windows have been dedicated to one product.

Selfridges creative director Linda Hewson adds: ‘Collaborating with Apple on such a large scale creative project continues our well-established tradition of inviting outstanding designers with a unique point of view to curate displays within our stores.’

In many ways, the blooming installation could not be a more fitting tribute to Apple’s game-changing product; from something small, great beauty grows.

ADDRESS

Selfridges
400 Oxford Street
Marylebone
London W1U 1A

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London department store Selfridges has been highlighting the dangers of plastic bottles to the world’s oceans for over five years. This summer, they raised the bar with a month-long pop up, including exhibitions and events on the theme of water.

Between five and 14 million tonnes of plastic are dumped in the world's oceans every year. This has formed an island of man-made debris estimated to have reached twice the size of the United States, a barely comprehendible fact that was the catalyst to Selfridges' commitment to green ecology, developed through the company's Project Ocean campaign, in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London and the Marine Reserves Coalition. Selfridges’ immediate action was to remove all single-use plastic bottles from its restaurants and foodhalls, while initialising schemes extending this to the wider store space. 

Taking the lead of the project, curator Jane Withers brought together a diverse group of creatives (including Studio Swine, who presented their Gyrecraft project) to inform visitors and inspire solutions.

Withers’ contribution includes a Water Bar, developed in collaboration with Italian gastronomic design collective Arabeschi di Latte. The bar invites visitors to explore idiosyncratic drinking experiences, offering water-based cocktails enriched with charcoal, minerals and herbs. A display of ancient and modern drinking vessels also offers alternatives to the ubiquitous plastic bottles.

The collective's Francesca Sarti – who co-developed the bar with Withers – was inspired by Italian thermal spas, and wanted to explore new social rituals for drinking water. 'The idea behind the water bar was to invite people to a richer water culture to try and imagine a world without the disposable plastic water bottle,’ explained Withers. ‘It's a recent invention but we've become addicted.’ 

The project highlights Selfridges' ongoing commitment to raising awareness of the dangers posed to the world's oceans by plastic litter. Immediate action included removing all single-use plastic bottles from its restaurants and foodhalls, while initiatives such as the Water Bar extend the scope to the wider store space.

'The idea behind the water bar was to invite people to a richer water culture to try and imagine a world without the disposable plastic water bottle,’ explained Withers, who developed the bar in collaboration with Francesca Sarti from Arabeschi di Latte. ‘It's a recent invention but we've become addicted.’

It takes chutzpah to unravel the classic codes that your brand is built on and reform them as something new. Especially if you happen to be Tiffany & Co, a name synonymous with a box in a colour that no-one else can replicate – the famous bird's-egg blue has its own Pantone reference (PMS number 1837). 

But the New York fine jeweller's installation 'Fifth & 57th' – currently on show at the Old Selfridges Hotel, a dilapidated, industrial space to the rear of the eponymous London department store – does just that. Naturally, the famed Tiffany box is the pivot around which this temporary immersive exhibition revolves but in a delightfully witty move, it has been stripped of the colour that is one of the most distinguishable calling cards of all time. 

Instead, towers of hundreds of pristine-white architectural square boxes represent New York’s Deco cityscape. This orderly melange forms a backdrop for a brilliantly noisy video installation capturing the flavour of a typical Fifth Avenue day, from sunrise to sunset, played on a 13-minute loop. So, rather than the blue box representing the glamour of New York, the city itself becomes a reflection of the famed luxury house that was established on the corner of Fifth & 57th in 1837 (hence that bespoke Pantone reference).

This smidgeon of subversive humour goes a long way to making 'Fifth & 57th' a richer visitor experience, providing the element of surprise that can do much to bring over 100 years of heritage to life. But of course, this is not just any history, this is New York history – Tiffany style. And so all this abstract thinking must be tempered by the sweetness of romance.

Hence, a stroll down the 'Avenue' is designed to reassure visitors with classic notions of NYC: a pretzel and coffee cart; a secluded bench in Central Park, where a smitten lover might pop the question under the boughs of a perfectly pink magnolia; Charlie's Bar – a speakeasy humming with low chatter, laughter and smoky jazz.

The house's formidable design heritage is also celebrated. A master engraver is installed in his studio on site, referencing Tiffany's reputation for decorative silver and expert craft techniques. And a homage to the genius of the late, great designer Gene Moore – who, for 40 years (until 1994) beguiled millions of passers-by to take a closer look into Tiffany's windows by way of his beautifully intriguing displays – is an unexpected delight.

'Fifth & 57th' is in keeping with the current trend for luxury houses to bring their heritage to life but none has done it with quite so much humour and sass as Tiffany & Co has here. Now we all know what is really inside that Little Blue Box.

ADDRESS

Old Selfridges Hotel
1 Orchard Street
London, W1H 6HQ

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Clearing away 2013's sale racks, London department store Selfridges has switched out its festive decorations for a 'Festival of Imagination' with the aim of inspiring a little collective creative consciousness.

Giving the TED Talks circuit a run for its brain fuel, the retail monolith is offering up a three-pronged approach to expanding our imaginations in-store; the concept itself conceived by Selfridges' new deputy chairman Alannah Weston, in accordance with founder Harry Gordon Selfridge's mantra: 'Develop imagination, throw away routine'.

The showcase begins at street level with conceptual window displays by big thinkers such as artist Rolf Sachs and architect and educator Minimaforms (the latter's 'petting zoo' pane has robotic sensor tentacles that replicate the motion of passersby). On the ground floor is the 'Imagine Shop', debuting 'future-facing' design curios (from 3D home printers to GPS shoes), while on the floor beneath is an 'Imaginarium', designed by maverick Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.

Located within the store's Ultralounge space, the Imaginarium has manifested as a think tank platform, from which Selfridges is hosting a daily program of speeches, discussions and debates by leading 'imagineers' - with Sachs kicking off the proceedings today.

Holding just 72 people at a time, the Imaginarium's amphitheatre-like steel structure, clad in frosted acrylic and illuminated from within, many not pertain the grandeur of other Koolhaas creations, but it's no doubt the festival's crowning jewel. Extending the optical illusionary theme, the floor has been painted with a rhythmic linear pattern, while the room's structural columns have been finished with optic green paint - the same stuff used for green screen filming.

'Over the past few years we have seen a huge rise of interest in the connection between science and art,' says Linda Hewson, Selfridges' director of windows and creative, who executed the festival with her team. 'Initially we wanted to explore a project that was all around invention, but we evolved the concept and the focus became imagination, which had broader creative potential.' It also offers a nice follow up to Selfridges' first wellbeing campaign 'No Noise', which looked at mindfulness and meditation last January.

As for the Koolhaas coup, Hewson explains: 'We have wanted to do a project with Rem and OMA for a long time because they are a huge source of inspiration for the creative teams at Selfridges. They are concerned not only with architecture, but urbanism, cultural analysis and fashion - including Prada's fashion shows sets and store design.'

The project certainly offers food for thought - and, if Dominic Wilcox's GPS shoe prototype finds its way into production, next year's January concept may also offer a direct route home. 

It was Giorgio Armani who once declared, 'Jeans represent democracy in fashion', while Yves Saint Laurent often lamented not having invented jeans. They were once a uniform staple for factory workers and miners, but you'd be hard-pressed today to find a closet that doesn't harbour a pair (or five). So it's fitting that Selfridges has dedicated 26,000 sq ft of retail space to fashion's most enduring material. The London department store's new Denim Studio has been pegged as the largest and most comprehensively curated denim emporium in the world.

The anchor of the space is the digital 'jeanius bar', taking pride of place in the so-called Fit Studio. London-based Kin Design (and former Wallpaper* cohorts) fashioned an interactive table with three large touchscreen tablets, running a stream of bespoke media, from lookbooks and brand biographies to street-style snaps. The digital bites can be passed around the table with the swipe of a finger and 'thrown' onto the big screen.

Customers can also browse the 11,000 available styles, bookmarking their selections into a wishlist that can be emailed or printed out as a pocket-sized booklet. Also on offer: a Denim Tailor, who offers two-hour alterations across every brand; the Platform, which hosts special projects launches and previews; and the first ever personal shopping suite dedicated to denim.

The denim wonderland currently boasts 52 designers in its portfolio, including Rag & Bone, Junya Watanabe and Christopher Kane (soon to join the fold are Proenza Schouler, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and Givenchy). Nearly every brand chipped in to create exclusive pieces for the opening.

Retail architects HMKM, longtime Selfridges collaborators, restored original architectural details to the space, as well as decking out the shopfit with lava stone display tables, acrylic grid racks and a futuristic neon-blue beam.

Although it recently opened to the public, the official celebration kicks off next Monday with the launch of Denim Lovers: a blockbuster two-month programme of denim-centric events. Timed to coordinate, Selfridges will also unveil its summer store windows, featuring one-off celebratory denim pieces by designers such as J.W. Anderson, Stella McCartney and Erdem.

ADDRESS

Selfridges
400 Oxford Street
London W1U 1AB

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Kusama fever has been spreading for a while, and it's officially in its most virulent stage. The Japanese artist, who created a spectacularly dotty limited-edition cover for our W*159 June issue, has been the subject of a worldwide retrospective that this year toured to the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate Modern in London and New York's Whitney Museum. The infection has spread to the fashion realm too, with her iconic polka dot patterns being picked up on a line of leather goods and a small ready-to-wear collection for Louis Vuitton, launched in July.

The 84-year-old artist's assured collaboration with the French fashion house - for which she has also been commissioned to create a series of 'worldwide windows' for its stores around the globe – is arguably Louis Vuitton's smartest artistic coup to date. Now they've extended the collaboration to London's Selfridges.

Twenty-four windows of the department store have been polka-dotted by the artist. Louis Vuitton and Kusama have essentially 'taken over' Selfridges in celebration of the second wave of the collection, which will hold court exclusively in store until 19 October, when it will then be available in Louis Vuitton stores.

The dotty assault, a signature the contemporary art maven has used to define her paintings, sculptures and installations through the years, continues inside Selfridges' Concept Store –  a space designed to house ephemeral special projects such as this. Here, giant be-dotted pumpkin structures - another hallmark of her work - frame Louis Vuitton's new collection by Kusama, which all feature repeated patterns in a colour-pop of vibrant hues.

ADDRESS

400 Oxford Street
London
W1A 1AB 

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A Parisienne playing the piano, Gareth Pugh dancing à la Liza Minnelli in Cabaret, and abstract clips of trees and forest are some of the subjects featured in The Film Project, currently running at the Old Selfridges Hotel in London.

Fashion houses A.F. Vandevorst, Alexander McQueen, Ann Demeulemeester, Comme des Garçons, Dries Van Noten, Gareth Pugh and Rick Owens were each invited to make a short film in order to celebrate the opening of the new Womens Designer Galleries at Selfridges department store. Eschewing the traditional shop floor launch, the idea was to create an experience where fashion, art and film collide.

Simon Costin, the project’s art director, has transformed the semi-derelict former hotel into a gallery-type setting, whereby each of the seven films is shown in its own curtained ‘pod’. ‘The space is all exposed pipes and rough concrete, so the minimalist bones, that were a pre-requisite, were there already,’ says Costin.

The largely grey palette and streaming white curtains are a vague nod towards the womenswear galleries, which feature interactive changing rooms and 10 different types of marble. ‘I wanted to reference the building’s former use as a hotel, so each designer has their own ‘room’; Rick Owens in a library, Alexander McQueen in a vanity room, Comme des Garçons in a drawing room, and so on.’

There are three bedrooms, where films by Ann Demeulemeester, AF Vandervorst and Dries van Noten are projected onto the ceilings of four poster beds.’ At last night’s launch party, the beds were mobbed

The designers were given the brief of ‘the strong woman’ and all seven films differ hugely. Most don’t even show garments, but are instead abstract vignettes with no obvious connection to fashion or retail. It’s only when you look closely that you even know this an event to mark the new galleries, which feature eight boutiques within the store and a section devoted to key looks devised by the Selfridges buying team.

Costin, who art-directed the Pugh film, has, over the years, worked with most of the fashion designers involved. In the near future, he hopes to combine Selfridges and his true passion; British folklore. Last year, he launched a pop-up shop in South Kensington and is scouting the countryside for a venue in which to permanently base his Museum of British Folklore. ‘I have always loved folklore. It runs parallel to heritage and culture and is all around us. It’s a living tradition which needs to be celebrated.’ You heard it here first.

Watch 'Mornlight' by Dries Van Noten

Watch 'Club Nouveau' by Gareth Pugh

ADDRESS

Old Selfridges Hotel
Orchard St
W1H 6HG, London

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