A Lucid account of Itchy Feet’s London flagship

Lucid has designed a 325m2 London flagship store for travel clothing and equipment retailer Itchy Feet, which aims to bring the personal touch and a dash of humour to the outdoors industry.

The consultancy, which has also revamped the brand’s identity, as well as creating all point-of-sale material, won the work – worth around £30 000 in fees – last year without a pitch.

The Wardour Street store is the company’s first retail presence outside its home town of Bath, says Itchy Feet director John Coppock. The outlet needs to communicate the ‘spirit of travel’ that Itchy Feet regards as its differentiating factor, he says.

‘Our identity is quite quaint in Bath, but in London we need to be more cutting edge. The design had to retain the friendliness of our approach, but bring it more up-to-date. It’s vital customers feel comfortable in the store, while knowing that our people are in the know about travel,’ explains Coppock.

Arranged over two floors, the £200 000 outlet employs ‘textural materials’ like bamboo, canvas and corrugated iron. Key elements of the design include ‘sand-ladders’, which double as merchandising systems, displayed in the main window and on the walls and changing rooms themed on the lines of African tents.

Graphic communication, created by Lucid designer Sarah Emery, links in with Itchy Feet’s catalogue and raises questions such as ‘where are you going?’ and ‘what type of traveller are you?’ to direct customers to products.

Lucid creative director Nick Butcher adds, ‘The [site’s] design is the antithesis of the retail white box, which wouldn’t have been right for the client.’