Architects take on fashion to decorate Regent Street shop windows

The Royal Institute of British Architects has partnered architects with fashion brands to create windows displays for London’s Regent Street.

JackSpade and CarlTurner Architects

Source: (c)CarlTurner Architect

JackSpade and CarlTurner Architects

The collaboration aims to give architects a chance to work on a short, experimental project that showcases their skills to a new audience, while the shops they work with benefit from their new perspectives.

Ferrari and Gensler

Source: (c) Gensler

Ferrari and Gensler

The Regent Street Windows Project is now in its fourth year, and this year’s event sees pairings including Topshop working with NEON, Esprit working with naganJohnson architects, Jack Spade working with Carl Turner Architects, Ferrari Store working with Gensler, Karen Millen with Mamou-Mani, and Moss Bros with AY Architects.

 

MossBross and AY Architects

Source: (c)AY Architects

MossBross and AY Architects

The project was conceived by a partnership between RIBA and Regent Street, London W1. It is estimated that Regent Street has a weekly footfall of 1.25 million people, according to RIBA.

While the installations won’t be in place until next month, the concept images show a huge range of ambitious and imaginative approaches.

AY Architects’ design for Moss Bros, for instance, will use a three-dimensional patterned screen inspired by the herringbone stitch motif of the brand.

naganJohnson’s concept for Esprit spans two floors, using a curving wooden fence and scrubby beach foliage to create its ‘California Wave’, which it says is inspired by ‘the sunny summer of 1968, the year the business was founded in California’:

Esprit and Nagan Johnson architects, California Wave

Source: (c)NaganJohnson architects

Esprit and Nagan Johnson architects, California Wave

Another undulating approach is shown in Mamou-Mani’s ideas for Karen Millen, with an ethereal, cloud-like mesh moving across the space beneath a glowing red ceiling-form forming the ‘Magic Garden’ installation:

Karen Millen and Mamou-Mani

Source: (c) Mamou-Mani

Karen Millen and Mamou-Mani

Over at Topshop, NEON proves that it’s neon by name, neon by nature, creating a vivid display of brightly coloured figures running in a never-ending circle. The spinning mechanism will showcase different outfits over the course of the day, whilst simultaneously displaying the full colour range of the season:

Topshop and NEON

Source: (c)NEON

Topshop and NEON

The displays will be in place from 15 April – 6 May in Regent Street, London W1

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