London summertime and with the sales just finishing it marks the change of season and the change of look. With stores around the world, stocking the likes of Balenciaga, Margiela, Goyard or even Prada, being ever changing whilst keeping up their brand trademarks, it is even their time to change the way they are seen by the architecture of their stores. However more than ever it is Prada who is always looking to the new architectural standard.

written by Ben Z. Fern

With their pop-up store in Paris a couple of years ago, which was supposed
to last no more than 5 months, it seems Prada unlike other houses which are
set in stone about their aesthetic store look, are trying to constantly change. In Bond Steet a new store refit, the concession in the Selfridges store completely transforming and across the world with their flagship masterpiece in Tokyo designed by Herzog & De Meuron, Prada is consistently shifting to a new luxe. However, the most interesting flagged up through seeing this, was the way in which the building work is adorned in London’s Bond Street. Not only is it entirely branded with the latest collection, it is imposing and humoungous.

After seeing this and then looking around London at the local building works in the West End, it was interesting to also see 6-9 Buckingham Gate, opposite to Buckingham Palace, where not only are they converting 4 townhouses into luxury flats and houses, they have created a green work of art on the construc-tion site. With green wood and plants growing of it, the building works could be seen alone as something creatively designed by Philippe Stark for one the Morgan’s hotel chains. So maybe, from here on into the future it is the luxury brands’ building works that will become a new branding method and also another luxury product in themselves.

Ben Z. Fern is our currently London based intern, studying at Central Saint Martins, with promising potential in journalism, styling and photography.