Balenciaga Brings Its ‘Raw’ Store Concept to Hamburg
GRAY MATTER: Balenciaga brought its “raw architecture” concept — which exalts aged concrete floors, stained metal fixtures, exposed ventilation and unfinished walls — to its new boutique in Hamburg, Germany, which opened Monday.
The two-story unit at 20 Neuer Wall spans about 5,800 square feet and carries the brand’s menswear, womenswear, accessories, bags, jewelry and eyewear.
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The French fashion brand, controlled by Kering, also operates stores in Munich and Berlin. The Hamburg addition brings the number of Balenciaga stores in the world to 299.
The brand shared images of the store empty, extolling what it calls an “atemporal setting, not associated with one particular era.” Its intentionally rough surfaces and “simulated corrosion” certainly stand in contrast to the stereotypical codes of luxury — acres of rare marble and gleaming surfaces.
A bench by Tejo Remy for Droog Design, composed of vintage and deadstock Balenciaga fabrics strapped tightly together, offers a touch of color and texture to the uniformly gray environment.
Polished shelving, floor-to-ceiling mirrors, and digital screens will “punctuate the vacated effect with modernity,” according to the brand.
In line with Kering’s ambitions to reduce its environmental impact, Balenciaga said its raw stores are “are designed with respect to existing structural elements resulting in stores inherently consuming fewer virgin materials.”
Balenciaga, which went quiet in the wake of its advertising scandal last year, seems to have resumed normal brand communication after its return to the runway last March — a low-key show that dialed down the provocation to put the focus on the “art of making clothes.”
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