A Dubai-based luxury brand of Arabic men's sandals, Private Collection approached us to lead an overall rebranding of their stores, as well as expansion plans across the UAE.
Offering a premium product, the focus was to enhance core values -- handmade (like their footwear), incorporating cultural influences and celebrating craftsmanship that is both modern and luxurious.
Starting with their Abu Dhabi boutique at Yas Mall, it was important that we create a design language to define the brand for a distinctive look, which could then be replicated across other outlets. At the same time, we wanted each space to feature certain individualised elements.
At a shoe store, where one's attention is drawn down to the feet, the flooring becomes an important part of the design; and that was the conceptual starting line, where we used two different Arabesque patterns inlaid in brass across white marble slabs, both patterns morphing into the other in a unique distribution along the floor periphery.
Together with the marble, oak wood and brass constitute the main material palette for the interiors and we customised a number of finishes in India and shipped them to Abu Dhabi for the fit-out.
The wall opposite the boutique entrance is tiled in tan leather, featuring a large hand-embroidered falcon. The national bird of the UAE, it is a symbol of force and courage, and a painting of it has always featured prominently in all Private Collection stores. We reinterpreted this image in saddle-stitched hand embroidery, its technique one of the most luxurious ways to embellish leather. The wall also features small leather goods and accessories.
The shoe display consists of niches lined in leather created for each pair of sandals, intended to highlight their individuality.
In the heart of the store, we created a display wall featuring 400 oak wood tiles hand-embroidered in zardozi with vibrant cotton thread, a special technique developed by us to translate sewing onto the wooden medium.
