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Geometry And Materiality In Dialogue

Zaha Hadid decks the flagship Stuart Weitzman Hong Kong store in a maze of neo-futuristic curves. Christie Lee discovers.

Geometry And Materiality In Dialogue

Photos: Zaha Hadid Architects

Tucked away on the ground floor of Harbour City Gateway Arcade mall in Tsim Sha Tsui is the newly opened Stuart Weitzman international flagship store. With interiors designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the concept store is the fourth of its kind after revamps to the American brand’s stores in Milan, Rome and Hong Kong [in IFC Mall (International Finance Centre)].

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While Hadid has courted controversy for her mammoth buildings that seem to bear little or no relevance with their surroundings in recent years, the Israeli-born London-based designer’s neo-futuristic style has worked marvellously in Stuart Weitzman’s concept stores.

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While the store, measuring 63 square metres, is not as big as its Milan and Rome counterparts, which spans 280 and 146 square metres respectively, the space is constructed with a similar design ethos.

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Fiberglass, the material from which the network is erected, not only ensures that interiors look sharp and consistent but also provides a sense of lightness to an otherwise complex configuration. The neo-futuristic curves responds empathetically to Stuart Weitzman’s own creative philosophy: playful and edgy.

While the monochrome palette ensures minimal distraction, immediately directing customers’ gaze to the throng of footgear on display, the glass-reinforced concrete of the walls imbues the space with a sense of solidity.

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Heels, boots and brogues are put on scintillating display in the silver-toned stands located in the middle of the store. Erected from fibreglass dipped in rose gold – a technique used in boat making – they might just be mistaken for art displays. Meanwhile, the modular stands also double up as seating areas.

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Being located amid a throng of luxury brands in a traffic-heavy mall, it was crucial to conjure a space where patrons feel like they are being transported from the flurry of action outside to a serene shopping environment inside. Defined by a maze of ergonomic curves, one almost feels insulated trying on a pair of shoes in the new flagship.

Zaha Hadid Architects
zaha-hadid.com

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