Acne Studios

Client

Acne

Location

Sydney CBD

Type

Retail

Photography

Richard Glover

The aesthetic of this bold retail project makes it a rightfully lauded study in unique, destination design. A retail boutique for the cult Swedish fashion label Acne Studios, H&E worked as executive architects (alongside the label’s in-house design team) to deliver a retail expression and experience that truly stands apart.

The unusual Sydney CBD corner site was used to first develop and then enhance notions of anti-retail – that is, to augment usual design considerations presented by most in this space by not amplifying the store’s presence. The interior L-shaped design is a study in minimalist restraint – luxury finishes such as off-white, terrazzo flooring and a muted interior colour palette allowing clothing to dominate and be heroed, as lit by 627 ‘mushroom’ down lights.

A dramatic design concept that has been highlighted globally, the design both exemplifies and heightens Acne Studios’ minimalist sartorial executions.