In this list you will find concept stores that in a relevant way combine culture with retail, offer a careful selection of products, suggest a certain lifestyle, or offer a refinement in the choice of brands and designers, combined with a unique shopping experience.
From London to Paris, via Berlin, Copenhagen and Barcelona.
We imagined a trip around Europe visiting Concept Stores that make a difference because of their design and layout, the building in which they are located or the products they sell.
Or, as with most of the addresses in this editorial, for all three of these characteristics.
In this list you will find concept stores that in a relevant way combine culture with retail, offer a careful selection of products, suggest a certain lifestyle, or offer a refinement in the choice of brands and designers, combined with a unique shopping experience. Let us begin.
Once upon a time Colette in Paris, closed in 2017
First Stop: London.
Dover Street Market, 18-22 Haymarket.
Dover Street Market Store in London
Founded by Rei Kawakubo, designer of COMME des GARÇONS, and her husband Adrian Joffe, DSM is one of the few examples of successful projects – well ahead of its time – to place itself at the centre of the narrative of the unrepeatable experience of selling in a physical store, at a time when online platforms represent an indispensable earning and communication tool for brands.
Since March 2016, Dover Street Market London has found another physical location, moving into a historic five-storey building designed by Thomas Burbery in 1912.
The ingenious Kawakubo wanted to preserve and enhance everything inside: the façade, ceilings, windows and stairs; everything left as it was at the time; integrating the container with her innovative, forward-looking taste.
An original staircase runs through all five floors. Each floor is embellished with incredible works of modern and contemporary art: Basement floor: ‘Frankenstein’ by Catherine Wagner. Ground floor: Rei Kawakubo‘s iconic Dover Street Market hut. 1st floor: ‘Golden Panels’ by Comme des Garcons, wraparound artwork by Pirosmani. 2nd floor: ‘Metal Dinosaur’ by Rei Kawakubo. 3rd floor: black-and-white interlocking shapes by Rei Kawakubo.
31 thousand square metres of art, fashion and innovation impossible not to visit at least once in a lifetime.
Second Stop: Paris.
The Broken Arm, 12 rue Pérée.
The Broker Arm in Paris
A forge and launch pad for numerous young Parisian designers, this concept store mixes innovative design, fashion, cuisine and French elegance in an exquisitely minimalist environment dominated by white and wood.
Founded by a Parisian trio, the place offers a selection of refined, carefully chosen items, including pieces by Raf Simons, Jacquemus and Marine Serre.
Third stop: Berlin.
VOO Store, Oranienstraße 24
Voo Store in Berlin, one of the best concept store in Europe
Voo’s aesthetic can be described as ‘Derelict chic’: a huge warehouse dominated in the centre by a decadent column partially covered by red bricks, as well as parts of the walls.
The space is filled with an ever-changing selection of men’s and women’s clothing, gifts, books, gadgets, beauty and other collectible magazines.
An indoor cafeteria completes the shopping experience, while outside is a courtyard in perfect Berlin DDR style, with a nostalgic, vintage feel, dominated by sage-green window frames. To be discovered.
Fourth Stop: Copenhagen.
The Apartment, Overgaden Neden Vandet 33.
The Apartment, interior store in Copenaghen
Crossing one of Copenhagen’s characteristic courtyards and climbing a slender spiral staircase, you enter The Apartment, a unique space dedicated to design and fashion.
The store-apartment is filled with armchairs by Kerstin Hörlin Holmquist juxtaposed with upholstery by Barbro Nilsson for Märta Måås-Fjetterström; a space curated with rare passion and ambition, with a focus on local, sometimes little-known designers and artists.
Of particular note is the rotating programme of exhibitions and temporary sales, highlighting as yet little-known Danish artists, designers and planners.
Fifth Stop: Bacellona.
Moco Concept Store, Montcada 27
Moco Concept Store in Barcellona
Sustainable products, limited edition artworks by established modern and contemporary artists or rising stars, the Moco concept store is a space that catapults you into the future.
It is the real transposition of a virtual concept created by Six N. Five, the award-winning art studio of Argentinian designer Ezequiel Pini.
The store offers a relaxing atmosphere, all tinged with pink, where it houses products and works between art, design, fashion and lifestyle.
