Following standalone boutiques in Tokyo and Los Angeles, the Bulgarian-born designer Kiko Kostadinov has shifted his focus back to home base London to open his third retail space. Interestingly, the outpost in the British capital is situated right below the Kiko Kostadinov design studio on the premises of Adelaide Wharf, a modern mixed-used complex in the Haggerston area of town.
The interior design, created by acclaimed London-based architecture practice THISS Studio, interestingly is a reimagined interpretation of an original 2016 installation of artists Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch, and realised alongside Rhett LaRue. Trecartin is a close collaborator of Kostadinov, and he was involved in the design of the previous retail spaces, and here, the duo once again explore retail architecture as a stage of performance, spectatorship and social choreography.
The installation, entitled Stunt Tank, has been revisited and thoughtfully reimagined, seeing its physical components becoming the primary furniture of the store itself. As such, the design extends an ongoing dialogue between the artist and the brand’s highly experimental spatial focus. Obviously, the original design needed to be translated into a commercial space while also preserving its spirit, deconstructing and repurposing its core physical components, such as pontoon boat railings, cream leather boat seating and ceiling tiles.
The design centres on bold material inversions and extensions—chrome pontoon railings were flipped upside down and mounted to the ceiling, serving as clothing rails, and boat seating from the installation is now distributed throughout the store, with only one piece repurposed as seating in the fitting room. Additionally, the original brown carpet was interpreted in a deep maroon and extended up the walls.
The walls were then excavated to create recessed, built-in shelving, seamlessly integrating display functions into an immersive monochromatic environment. Long softly backlit PVC curtains that cascade to the floor from each side of an illuminated ceiling, partially obscuring the structural columns and creating a dramatically lit threshold into the artwork. Old catering shelves have been repurposed and covered in marmoleum to create a long display to showcase the merchandise. The new Kiko Kostadinov store carries men’s and women’s apparel, accessories, bags, shoes, footwear, and special projects items.
Kiko Kostadinov boutique London
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