This store builds on the well-established design aesthetic of local fashion label Nique. The site is a leftover portion of space carved out of multiple surrounding tenancies within the ground floor of a remarkable heritage building on Flinders Lane. A challenging space in an ideal location where many of the original features had already been subverted over time. This included building up the original sunken floor to street level and in turn radically lowering the ceiling height. The design works hard to combat these conditions along with maximising the necessary function in a tight space. Taking from the brands existing design language, a system of slender steel pipe is used to achieve several aspirations of the fit-out. Primarily, the piping becomes an adaptable racking system, allowing for multiple modes of display where the supports give options for front facing display and floating shelves. The racking is also exploited to promote both depth of field and verticality; allowing apertures from the street and through the space, as well as leading the eye up and pushing the low ceilings further afield. The shell of the tenancy is then unified with varying white materiality, attempting to bounce light throughout the store and allow the boundaries of the space to recede from the focal point of the clothing.
