Nendo for 24 Issey Miyake

Nendo for 24 Issey Miyake

I got pretty excited when I saw the most recent retail project by one of my favourite Japanese design studios Nendo on Abitare today...

 
Isn't it fantastic? This is the brand new interior concept for Miyake's '24 Issey Miyake' store in Shibuya's massive Parco complex. It's such a simple, well-executed design that shows off the product range perfectly. The field of white rods (that remind me somewhat of those old prince of persia arcade games where you used to fall into the pits of spears...you know the ones, right?) provide a wonderful display mechanism for Miyake's inventive Bilbao bag which folds and moves seemingly independent of any real structure. I need to get me one of those. Time to go back to Tokyo and hang out in this colourful Miyake paradise.

E.

Merci

Merci

Can somebody fly me to Paris? Now, please? I think I want to spend the rest of my life in this store.

 Image from WGSN

Image from Les Carnets du Design

Image from WGSN

Image from WGSN

Image from Les Carnets du Design

 Image from Kriss69

Image from Le Marais

Image from Les Carnets du Design

Image from WGSN

Image from Moxiesinclair

Image from Les Carnets du Design

Image from WGSN

These beautiful photos are of the Merci concept store in Paris, and I believe this is some of the best retail design and visual merchandising I've come across. The store itself is a huge multi-level complex, but each section has a different innovative concept where special thought has been put into the product presentation.

An interesting aspect here is that the internal structure and fittings are highly industrial - if you took out the wonderful displays you would be left more or less with a factory. This minimal approach might have something to do with the idea behind Merci, and that is charity. All the profits from sales go to a children's charity in Madagascar, which means no mark-up...which means cheap designer clothes and products! Everybody wins!

I haven't been to Paris since I was 7 so I'm probably due for a visit. But before I go Euro I'm off to the faraway land of Brisbane this weekend to check out APT6. Stay tuned for a contemporary art run-around next week.

 E.