Yes, luxury retail is renowned for high end design, but it is also a category rife with cliché. As Harvey Nichols embarked on a global reinvigoration of their store concept, it was keen to avoid the usual department store tropes and stay true to their brand values of being witty and fun.

For the Harvey Nichols audience, luxury is not defined by brands themselves, but instead the curated lifestyle they help to create. We knew that the new store concept would have to be designed around these customers rather than branded concessions.

Our guiding principle was the idea of ‘controlled disruption’ and that helped us to craft a truly unusual store layout. The disparity and eclectic approach to materiality, the contrast between rough and smooth surfaces, the variety and quirkiness of the furniture creates a very unusual, almost subversive design vocabulary.

A significant departure to the typical ‘shop within shop’ approach taken by most department stores today, Harvey Nichols customers are able to browse the department store in a way that feels truly unique and curated.

The generic approach to branding, with no concessions, reinforced Harvey Nichols iconic status beyond labels. The project won a prestigious Store of the Year Award at the Retail Week Awards.