Kirk Originals flagship store
In stark contrast to the conventional clinical white box of traditional opticians, Campaign has created a dramatic interior for the London flagship store of global eyewear brand Kirk Originals.
Located in Conduit Street, in the heart of London’s west end, the new store showcases the Kirk Originals collection of stylish glasses and sunglasses in its entirety along with selected ranges by independent eyewear brands exclusive to Kirk Originals in the UK.
A convivial space has been designed to convey the brand’s heritage, ethos and be conducive to browsing and trying on the handcrafted frames on display, with full eye examinations and fittings available in the basement.
Taking inspiration from the brand’s latest Kinetic collections, the flagship store design features displays of winking eyes in various guises. A series of larger than life lenticular printed eyes are suspended in the front window, simultaneously winking and catching customers’ eyes as they approach and enter the store. A sense of interaction continues inside, as a wall display of human-like ‘winkies’ runs the length of the store, providing a ready-made audience to enhance the browsing and trying on experience. The ‘winkies’, 187 white powder-coated sculptural heads, each wear a unique frame and can be tilted and re-positioned to create clusters of on-looking craning heads.
A restricted palette of monochromatic colours and modest materials including blue-grey painted walls and a dark grey floor keeps the spotlight firmly on the ‘winkies’ adorned with frames as if displaying works of art.
Integral to the shopping experience, the Kirk Originals identity is interwoven throughout the space: a succinct account of the brand’s origins has been rendered in graphic text over two walls at the entrance; meanwhile a black and white projection on the back wall playfully re- works the Kirk Originals logo through a continual kaleidoscopic loop.
Side-stepping the expected, Campaign has transformed 65 sqm of interior space to create a memorable destination for eyewear aficionados.
