With more people shopping online, do you think “shopping is (still) relevant”? founder, , and AMO’s director may have found an answer to that very question with their design for . Packed with multifaceted possibilities, this mighty facility can readily contract and expand its presence in accordance with other design events.
The store is found on 127 NE41 Street, Miami Design District, home to design boutiques, art galleries and luxury fashion. Unlike other Off-White stores, this two-storey flagship is the first to have a façade. Made of polycarbonate, the entrance is distinguished by a movable wall marked with the word ‘Shop’ and a red monolithic cross above, demarcating a threshold and presence in the creative suburb. The intentional placement of the cross on the ‘Shop’ is a witty metaphorical reference to the fluid intentions of the interior.
The culture of Miami Design District predominantly influenced the ambitious programming of the store. With different art and design communities coming together, Off-White’s flagship promises a transformative space, aiming to immerse with the varied design events such as and .
The movable wall can be pushed back to allow integration between the internal and external, becoming a venue for 1,000 people, entertain a runway show, music events, or a series of public lectures. Abloh and Bantal have also allowed the possibility of the store to become an intimate space, with the second floor made to transform into a dining room. The interior’s proposed transformation physically demonstrates the amalgamation of different design communities while using Off-White as a foundation. It’s a tactful move to maintain the audience’s engagement with the brand.
Internally, the store is a sleek and sexy aesthetic with metal walls and concrete floors. Minimal storage is reserved exclusively for Off-White items, and are still housed on the signature metal shelving, and black marquina and white Carrara marble rails. Except, this time, they are fashioned with wheels or made collapsible – increasing efficiency when a transformation takes place.
The interior almost looks futuristic had it not been the presence of the rendered bricks and mesh ceiling that gently exposes the mechanics of the shop. Though, the coldness is softened by a collective of colours: electric blue steel staircase drawing into the second floor, plush red benches, velvet green change rooms and marshmallow-soft white chairs – all reminiscent of Abloh and Bantal’s previous collaboration on the MCA exhibition . It’s a curation that borders between a gallery and retail space.
It would be an understatement to say that Off-White Miami Flagship is just a shop. Both Abloh and Bantal envisioned the architecture to be a space of fulfilment while pushing the ‘what-ifs’ in the world of consumption of art and design. It’s a place that requires regular visits, and I’m looking forward to being surprised by the many arrangements in the future.
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