Evrot creates space age interiors for Villa Moda

Jean-Philippe Evrot, formerly part of Parisian concept store Colette’s design team, has created retail interiors for ‘Sheikh of Chic’ Majed Al-Sabah’s latest venture, Villa Moda Dubai, launching this week.

The department store, which will offer more than 50 established and up-and-coming fashion brands, is the first Villa Moda franchise. The original store opened in Kuwait in 2002.

According to Evrot, creative director for the Villa Moda franchise, the store’s interior is inspired by science fiction movies of the 1970s and gained momentum following the 2002 remake of cult film Solaris.

He says he attempted to balance visually arresting interiors with ease of navigation. ‘Traditionally, [customers] walk into a fashion shop, stay for between five and 20 minutes, leave and then forget the entire experience. With Villa Moda, we want to make a long-lasting impact,’ he explains.

Displays and counters suspended from ceilings create a feeling of ‘weightlessness’, complemented by neutral white walls, white lacquer and steel fittings and concrete floors, Evrot says. Holographic glass walls create partitions between shopping areas.

Evrot says he is particularly proud of three ‘capsule units’, which house fashion ranges designed by Missoni, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney.

‘I designed a 25m2 white cube for each, with curved corners that float just below the ceiling,’ Evrot explains. He says the cubes separate the concessions from the rest of the store and recreate the brands’ flagship stores.

Villa Moda expects to open Evrot-designed shops in Bombay and Qatar in the new year.