Frankie
The interdisciplinary Los Angeles based architecture and design practice, Bureau Spectacular, unveiled their latest design with the launch of the flagship store for high end and ready to wear line, Frankie.
Formerly known as Frankie B., founder and chief creative, Kevin Chen, has re-launched the brand under the moniker Frankie in a one of a kind retail space in the Downtown Arts District designed by Bureau Spectacular's Founding Partner, Jimenez Lai. Lai also designed the exterior graphic on the building’s historic facade.
The innovative store interior has been outfitted with one of the firm’s iconic SuperFurnitures, a structure too small to be a building but too large to simply be a piece of furniture. The nine-piece, 28-foot-long modular staircase when assembled accommodates activities such as seating, a fashion runway or a performance stage. When disassembled, each one of the nine modules is designed to meet the needs of retail functionality, from product display to fitting rooms to storage and transactions.
The vision behind the store's design takes inspiration from an earlier project
of Lai’s entitled Briefcase House, a house within a house located inside a 1400 square foot Chicago warehouse loft. It also references Speechbuster / 99 Chairs, a sculpture that operates as both furniture object and performative space.
The 2000 square foot multidimensional retail space features products from the Frankie line, as well as fragrances, candles, accessories, and books from other companies. In addition to its role as a retail store, Frankie acts as an incubator and collaborative center for fashion and design talents across the globe.
