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    Vincent Van Duysen transforms Milanese palazzo into “sensual” Ferragamo store

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    Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen has completed a boutique in Milan for Italian fashion house Ferragamo, featuring red marble panels and an alcove covered in ceramic petals that offset the original Renaissance-style interiors.

    The store is located within Palazzo Carcassola Grandi, which was originally built in the 15th century and now occupies a prime spot on Milan’s Montenapoleone fashion street.
    Vincent Van Duysen has designed Ferragamo’s Montenapoleone boutiqueThe palazzo was remodelled in the 19th century when it was home to Emilio Morosini – a member of the Italian unification and independence movement known as the Risorgimento.
    Van Duysen chose to retain much of the building’s historic character while introducing some surprising contemporary details.
    Footwear is displayed in a large salon”With this project, we tried to express a timeless Italianicity that is steeped in Ferragamo’s DNA,” said Van Duysen. “A sensual theatrical setting, where the scenic screen is luxuriously elevated and used as a backdrop and space dividing element at the same time.”

    “The skilful juxtaposition of modern, essential elements and materials with existing structures such as the columns and the cross vaults creates a pleasing contrast that enhances every feature.”
    An alcove is decorated in ceramics by Andrea MancusoAt the heart of the 280-square-metre interior is a large salon for displaying Ferragamo’s footwear. A minimal material palette comprising Venetian stucco walls, stone flooring and off-white painted ceilings allows the original details to stand out.
    Large mirrors set in simple bronze frames enhance the sense of space, while slabs of mottled Napoleon Red marble provide a punchy contrast that nods to the favourite colour of the company’s founder, Salvatore Ferragamo.
    The rest of the spaces are organised and designed to evoke the rooms of a grand villa, each with a unique character tailored to reflect the collections it holds.

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    “The design originates far in the past, in the person of Salvatore Ferragamo himself, who liked to receive his customers as if in his home living room,” explained Marco Gobbetti, Ferragamo’s CEO and managing director.
    “This was precisely how he thought of his shop, as a place to come together and converse. This starting point has brought us to this contemporary expression of the intimacy of home and Italian-ness.”
    As customers move through the sequence of rooms, they come across areas dedicated to footwear, bags, accessories and clothing, before finally descending a short stone staircase to reach a space displaying silk items.
    Marble detailing features throughout the storeFerragamo worked with contemporary designers and gallerists to curate a collection of unusual objects and furniture intended to embody the store’s “contemporary Renaissance spirit”.
    An alcove visible through one of the windows is covered in sea-blue ceramics crafted by Andrea Mancuso of Milanese studio Analogia Project, using the same technique he developed for the Aquario collection for Nilufar Gallery in 2022.
    Mancuso also used the circular ceramic petals, intended to evoke fantastical aquatic flora, to form a display table placed at the boutique’s entrance.
    Side tables by Andrea Anastasio stand in the vestibule next to the changing roomsSide tables found in spaces including a lounge-like vestibule next to the changing rooms are from Andrea Anastasio’s Corallium collection for Giustini/Stagetti Gallery and consist of coloured stone pieces stitched together using leather string.
    JoAnn Tan’s Stockholm-based studio created the display tables seen in the windows, which are covered with leather fringe reclaimed from Ferragamo’s production sites.
    Van Duysen is known for his multidisciplinary work for the hospitality, fashion and furniture sectors, and has been the creative director of Italian design brand Molteni&C since 2016.
    JoAnn Tan’s fringed display tables can be seen from the outsideAs part of his role, the architect has revamped the firm’s corporate showroom in Giussano, Italy, and designed a “palazzo-like” showroom in New York.
    Salvatore Ferragamo established his first business focusing on ladies’ footwear in 1927. In addition to footwear, the firm now produces luxury goods such as bags, accessories and ready-to-wear clothing, all of which are displayed at the Via Montenapoleone showroom.
    In 2022, British graphic designer Peter Saville updated Ferragamo’s brand identity, replacing its handwritten logo with a custom serif typeface that references stone inscriptions.

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      James Shaw installs jumbo foot in London Camper store

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      British designer James Shaw has renovated a shop for fashion brand Camper on London’s Regent Street, which features a giant foot-shaped sculpture that functions as a till and a bench for trying on shoes.

      Located in a ground-level room within a building on Regent Street in central London, the store reopened last week.
      James Shaw has renovated the Camper store on Regent StreetShaw redesigned the interiors to reflect the Mallorcan heritage of Spanish footwear company Camper – a brand known for its bold and colourful creations.
      The designer constructed a 3.5-metre-tall sculpture in the shape of an oversized foot, which was covered in terracotta-hued wool and positioned on the shop floor.
      His design includes a jumbo footVisible from the street, the cartoon-like structure is multifunctional. It includes internal storage for products and a small booth that houses the till.

      Shoppers are also encouraged to perch on the jumbo toes while trying on shoes, making the foot a bench as well as a display unit.
      Shaw also created recycled plastic furniture”The foot is the key feature of our proposal. Somewhat surreal and unexpected yet fully connected to Camper’s sense of playfulness and whimsy,” said Shaw.
      “Reflected in the fully mirrored wall, it appears as a giant standing in the middle of the store.”
      Walnut was used to make display unitsThe designer, who works predominantly with recycled plastic, also created lumpy yellow shelving made from extruded slabs of the material, which – like the large foot – is reflected in the floor-to-ceiling mirror that makes up one of the walls.
      Shaw also combined his trademark gloopy plastic with walnut wood to create rounded stools, positioned underneath the yellow shelves.

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      On the opposite side of the room, the designer added smooth walnut display units mounted to the wall with twisted polished metal fixtures – also custom-made by Shaw.
      At the back of the store, shoppers can rest on geometric seating topped with textured mohair and clad in mirrored metal. The recognisable red Camper logo, positioned above the seating, was also reimagined with a Shaw-style, lumpy backdrop.
      The interiors are “a nod to mid-century modernism with a warped twist”Shaw created the store’s flooring using orange resin to match the colour of the large foot as well as the painted walls and ceiling, which are all finished in similar hues.
      The mix of materials is “a nod to mid-century modernism with a warped twist,” according to Camper.
      “Mediterranean roots are present in the colour scheme, where warm earthy tones meet shades of yellow and blue,” added the brand.
      Elsewhere, designer Jorge Penadés dressed a Málaga Camper shop with materials chosen to match the brand’s warehouse while architect Kengo Kuma created scalloped shelving out of concave ceramic tiles for a Barcelona branch.
      Shaw showcased pieces of his extruded recycled plastic furniture at the 2022 edition of London Design Festival in an installation he created with his partner, Lou Stoppard, that playfully explored tensions between couples who move in together.
      The photography is courtesy of Camper.

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      Interior designer Iris Apfel dies aged 102

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      American interior designer, fashion influencer and “geriatric starlet” Iris Apfel has passed away at the age of 102.

      The death of the multidisciplinary creative, who was recognised for her flamboyant personal style, was announced on her Instagram account with an image of Apfel in her trademark oversized glasses.
      Apfel, who worked in the interiors and fashion industries throughout her career, shot to international fame in her 80s and 90s after New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibited a show of her eclectic clothes and accessories in 2005.
      Titled Rara Avis: Selections From the Iris Apfel Collection, it was the first time the museum had dedicated an exhibition to someone’s wardrobe.
      Born Iris Barrel in 1921 in Queens, Apfel studied art history at New York University and art at the University of Wisconsin.

      After graduating, she worked for fashion magazine Women’s Wear Daily before interning for interior designer Elinor Johnson.
      Together with her late husband Carl Apfel, whom she married in 1948, she set up the brand Old World Weavers – a company that specialised in striking textiles informed by things found on the Apfels’ travels.
      Under Old World Weavers, the duo completed high-profile projects such as restoring the White House interiors for nine presidents including Harry Truman and Bill Clinton.

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      The designer became a visiting lecturer at the University of Texas in 2011, where she taught fashion students about textiles and crafts.
      In later life, Apfel became a staple of the fashion industry.  In 2018, toy manufacturer Mattel created a Barbie doll in the designer’s image, although it was not for sale. At the age of 97, she signed a modelling contract with IMG Models.
      Apfel playfully called herself a “geriatric starlet” and described the prospect of retirement as “a fate worse than death” shortly after turning 100.
      Following the news of her passing, designers around the world paid tribute to Apfel’s legacy. “Iris Apfel has become a world-famous fashion icon because of her incredible talent not only as an artist but as an influencer,” said fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger.
      The photography is by Ron Adar courtesy of Shutterstock.

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      Samsøe Samsøe’s Paris pop-up gallery is a “blank canvas” decorated with clothing artworks

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      Danish fashion brand Samsøe Samsøe has launched a pop-up gallery for Paris Fashion Week that features an all-white interior decorated with artwork and furniture made from the brand’s T-shirts.

      The exhibition space was designed to have a pared-down feel in a nod to the brand’s Basic collection, which is launching during the fashion week in the French capital.
      Samsøe Samsøe’s in-house design team created the gallery together with set designer Fatima Fransson to be a “blank canvas” and bring the brand’s vision of “Scandinavian simplicity” to life.
      The minimalist pop-up is located in Paris’ Le Marais area”The overall design is inspired by the way in which our Basic collection is structured,” Samsøe Samsøe art director Jelena Fijan told Dezeen.
      “We took the timeless, long-lasting approach of the product to be central at the space, which gives it a contemporary art gallery feel,” she added.

      “[We wanted] to create a welcoming but abstract feeling for the visitor.”
      It features a central counter covered in white T-shirtsThe resulting space, located in Paris’s Le Marais neighbourhood, has a stark all-white interior punctuated by a central counter partly made from the brand’s clothes.
      “By creating a high-block bar, the installation functions both as an art piece and as a community table for people to connect and talk,” Fijan said.

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      “As this is the central piece in the space, we left some room for the brain to work, and we wanted to create a minimalist and long-lasting feel,” she added.
      The block was made from plywood and epoxy resin, which was then covered in reclaimed T-shirts worn by the Samsøe Samsøe team.
      Grey jumpers were turned into artworks on a concrete backgroundThe space also features artworks made from cashmere knits that were placed in plywood forms layered with a concrete-mixed plaster.
      After Paris Fashion Week ends, the set will be moved to the brand’s headquarters in Copenhagen.
      The space was designed to reference Samsøe Samsøe’s “Scandinavian minimalism”Other fashion stores with a minimalist interior include Swedish brand Toteme’s flagship London store, designed by Halleroed, and Balenciaga’s concrete Berlin store, which references the city’s modernist architecture.
      The photography is courtesy of Samsøe Samsøe.
      The Samsøe Samsøe gallery is located on 16 Rue Caffarelli, 75003 Paris, and will be open 28 February to 3 March. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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      Aro Archive store features pastel-coloured rooms and industrial control station

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      Fashion retailer Aro Archive’s pastel-hued east London store was designed by founder Ariana Waiata Sheehan to evoke “a sense of otherworldliness”.

      The store, located in Shoreditch, replaces the brand’s previous, more industrial store on nearby Broadway Market and was intended to have a frivolous feel.
      The Aro Archive store has pastel-coloured floors in pink and blueThe interior has “a sense of otherworldliness, escapism and fun,” Waiata Sheehan explains, comparing it to “a mixture between a mushroom trip and going to visit someone’s rich aunty who runs a gallery”.
      “We’ve always had very neutral industrial spaces,” she told Dezeen. |But you can get an industrial Zara these days, so time to switch it up and go full personality, which has been scary but so worth it.”
      It is located inside an old Victorian warehouseLocated inside a five-storey former Victorian warehouse, Aro Archive, which sells pre-owned clothing by avant-garde designers, was organised so that each floor has a different colour.

      Monochrome pastel pink, blue and white hues decorate the different levels, which also feature a wide range of reclaimed and recycled materials, furniture and artworks.
      Founder Ariana Waiata Sheehan created the interior design”The pink floor is supposed to feel very warm, womb-like and enclosed,” Waiata Sheehan said. “The blue floor is more light and otherworldly. And the two white floors are very ethereal and calm.”
      White duvet covers by fashion house Maison Martin Margiela were used to create curtains for the changing rooms, while interior pillars are made from reclaimed 1990s metal lamp posts that the designer sourced from a scrapyard in Preston.
      Duvet covers by Maison Martin Margiela frame the changing rooms”The building and surrounding area feel very London, so we did want to bring in a sense of that for example with the lamp posts, metal works and details, bright neon lights and so forth,” Waiata Sheehan said.
      She sourced a number of unusual furnishings for the Aro Archive store, including an industrial control station from a paper-manufacturing plant that is now used as a till.

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      “The industrial paper control station I’ve been watching on eBay for nearly 4 years, waiting for a time I had the space to buy it,” Waiata Sheehan explained. “I wanted something different to the normal till, they’re all so boring and square.”
      The store also has another large metal till and metal drawers that originally came from a 1980s Mary Quant store and were rescued from a squat in Hackney Wick.
      A large metal till was originally from a Mary Quant storeWaiata Sheehan also sourced several smaller pieces for the boutique, where customers can purchase everything down to the artwork, furniture and accessories.
      “I do all the buying so everything is here because I love it in some way,” she explained. “But in terms of favourite pieces in store right now?”
      “For fashion, it’s the Rick Owens orange shearling gimp mask gilet, for objects the Shirin Guild ceramic incense holders and for furniture the wobbly glass table with magazine racks.”
      Waiata Sheehan bought an old industrial control station from eBayWaiata Sheehan hopes the Aro Archive boutique will feel like a home away from home and help to create a community feel in the area.
      “I think Shoreditch is lacking a sense of community and I wanted to work that into the space,” she said. “The feeling of a chaotic family home and a feeling of togetherness.”
      Lampposts from a scrapyard form pillars inside the storeOther London stores with notable interior design recently covered on Dezeen include Swedish fashion brand Toteme’s newly-opened Mayfair store and a Coach pop-up store at Selfridges that had fixtures made from recyclable materials.
      The photography is by John Munro.

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      USM Haller creates “techno-chic” Coperni retail space at Parisian shop-in-shop

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      Parisian fashion brand Coperni has collaborated with Swiss furniture company USM Haller to create its first-ever boutique, a shop-in-shop at French department store Printemps Haussmann.

      The shop-in-shop, installed at Printemps Haussmann in Paris, marks Coperni’s first-ever physical retail location and will be replicated at London’s Selfridges store and China’s Duty Free Mall in Hainan Island.
      Coperni collaborated with Swiss furniture brand USMDescribed by Coperni’s co-founder as “techno-chic”, the interior is defined by its cubic, space-age-style look that was achieved by reinterpreting USM Haller’s cubic storage systems as tables, walls and display areas.
      The floor of the retail space was covered in Versailles parquet flooring, with each of the wooden floor panels separated by USM Haller’s silver tubing. This typically lines the corners and edges of its storage systems and furniture.
      USM reinterpreted its iconic modular storage systemsThe Versailles parquet flooring was chosen for its artisanal and timeless spirit that draws on Parisian craftsmanship, which Coperni said pays homage to its ethos as a brand.

      The use of USM Haller’s silver tubing within the Versailles parquet flooring system marks the first time that USM has adapted and reinterpreted its modular systems into a wooden material.

      Dress sprayed onto model on Coperni catwalk at Paris Fashion Week

      USM Hallers modular systems also form arch-shaped display units along the perimeter of the shop-in-shop, which were fitted with rails allowing Coperni’s ready-to-wear collection to be displayed.
      A display table constructed from larger cubic modules was placed at the centre of the space, while a wall behind was branded with the Coperni logo.
      It marks the first time USM used its silver tubing in a wooden systemIn 2022, Coperni’s Spring Summer 2023 show during Paris Fashion Week went viral for live spraying a dress onto the body of supermodel Bella Hadid using Fabrican’s sprayable liquid fibre.
      AMO recently created a terracruda-clad shop-in-shop for Parisian fashion brand Jacquemus in Selfridges, London, that was designed to have a “Provence atmosphere.”
      The photography is courtesy of Coperni.

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      EBBA Architects designs sculptural pop-up shop for Rotaro at Liberty

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      London-based studio EBBA Architects has channelled the environmental ethos of fashion rental platform Rotaro for its pop-up boutique at department store Liberty.

      The project aimed to show that beautiful and interesting spaces can be created for temporary use, while still considering the environmental impacts of materials and construction.
      “We are very aware of our environmental impact and we believe design should speak to this, while also trying to make a unique experience for the visitor,” EBBA founder Benjamin Allan told Dezeen.
      EBBA designed a pop-up shop for fashion rental platform Rotaro”Rotaro is all about fashion rental, as a response to waste in the industry,” he added. “Circularity is key to their ethos and we wanted to connect to this, both in the use of material and form.”
      Bringing definition to Rotaro’s space within the wider store, EBBA has demarcated the area with a pair of substantial columns, each with an elongated, semi-circular cross-section.

      “The position and shape of the columns create the sense of walking into an entirely new space within the historic context of Liberty,” said Allan.
      The studio demarcated the area with a pair of substantial columnsEntwining the two columns, a pair of metal rails have the dual function of creating a display area and introducing a sculptural element that further defines the space, with soaring, free-form curves.
      “The two rails rotate and wrap around each of the columns, while also simultaneously responding to the opposite rail, a bit like a choreographed piece,” Allan said.
      Cork is the project’s primary materialContinuing the theme of duality, just two key materials have been used in the space – cork and metal.
      EBBA was influenced by the work of artists Donald Judd and Carl Andre and their elevation of humble materials through detailing and construction.
      A pair of metal rails have a dual function”We always look to push the potential of a project, to make the most impact through the simplest of means and also address the need to be economical,” Allan said.
      “Essentially the design revolves around only two materials which, working together, give a sense of regularity in the layouts of the blocks, combined with the sculptural forms of the rails.”
      Curated garments hang from the railsCork was used as the primary material, cladding the two columns and creating the backdrops that zone Rotaro’s area.
      EBBA aimed to use a material that had an environmental quality, while using the standardisation of the blocks to set parameters for the design.

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      “We chose blocks of a specific dimension that could then be adapted to create both the walls and the columns themselves,” Allan said.
      “The cork is a natural material that has an inherent warmth and depth, while also being incredibly versatile and easily recycled,” he added.
      Texture characterises the pop-up shopBrushed stainless steel was used for the metalwork, with each rail comprised of a single piece of metal that was bent and sculpted to wrap around the columns.
      This rail’s curving form relates to the idea of circularity in Rotaro’s business model, while also bringing an adaptability to the space by allowing the garments to be shown in a variety of ways.
      Brushed stainless steel was used for the metalwork”The primary purpose is to display the continuously updated collection while also adding a sculptural aspect that helps to create a sense of space,” said Allan.
      Within the ornately-detailed Liberty store, the project offers a bold, contemporary response to the interior, while finding common ground with the wider building.
      The rail’s curving form relates to the idea of circularity”The tones and textures in the warmth of the cork, tie in with the timber and natural colours of Liberty’s interior spaces,” Allan said. “Detailing and decoration in the original columns relate to nature and vegetation, which also tie into the use of cork and its qualities.”
      Because the Liberty building has Grade II listed status, no fixings were allowed into the building fabric.
      “The benefit of the lightweight cork material meant we could also adapt the Rotaro space with minimal impact on the wider building,” he added.
      Cork was chosen for being lightweightTo create a plinth that provides a flat surface for displaying objects, EBBA used the same semi-circular form of the columns, but flipped onto its side.
      This element has been given an ultramarine blue coating to add a sense of playfulness and catch the attention of visitors, using one of Rotaro’s key colours to connect with the brand’s identity.
      A semi-circular plinth features an ultramarine blue coatingWhile the space has been designed as a pop-up, EBBA worked – through the quality of the materials and the construction of the walls and blocks – to give it a sense of permanence.
      “All of our projects aim to achieve a quality of permanence through the use of natural materials and the detailing of the construction,” Allan said.
      “We believe that this level of quality helps to create a design that feels purposeful, even for temporary uses.”
      Other recent projects by EBBA Architects include a shop for Cubitts in an old pie-and-mash restaurant and a house extension with brutalist-style materials.
      The photography is by James Retief

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      Loewe ReCraft store in Osaka finds ways to let leather live on

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      Fashion brand Loewe has opened a store in Osaka that, for the first time, is specifically dedicated to the repair and preservation of its leather goods.

      The opening of Loewe ReCraft continues the “obsessive focus” that the brand has had on leather since 1846, when it initially launched as a leather-making collective.
      The store is set inside luxury department store Hankyu Umeda, and – thanks to the presence of an in-house artisan – is able to offer maintenance services ranging from re-painting and stitching to the replacement of handles and eyelets.
      The store is exclusively used to preserve and repair Loewe’s leather goods”The launch [of the store] builds on Loewe’s ongoing commitment to the longevity of its handcrafted bags,” explained the brand. “It’s about the joy of craft beyond the new; it’s a commitment to breathing fresh life into long-cherished possessions.”
      The store’s open facade allows for uninterrupted sightlines through to the interior, which has been decked out in natural tones and materials.

      Dotted across the recycled-wood floor is a trio of chunky consultation islands, each clad with glossy emerald-green tiles sourced from Spain.
      Thread, cutting tools, and leather swatches lie behind a glass windowThe longest of the three islands has a thickset countertop made from limestone and wood.
      It features a series of inbuilt flat trays from which customers can select straps, charms or studs to customise their items. Monogramming services are also available.
      A window in a tile-covered wall looks through to a small repair room that houses a sewing machine, various cutting tools, swatches of leather, and a rainbow of different threads.
      Loewe bag models with surplus-leather patches and pockets will be for sale in the storeAnother tiled wall at the rear of the Loewe ReCraft store showcases bags crafted from leather left over from Loewe’s past collections, which customers can purchase.
      Limited editions of the brand’s signature Basket bag are also available to buy, updated with patches and pockets made out of surplus leather.
      As well as leather items, Loewe also makes clothing, accessories and pieces for the home.
      Earlier this year the brand released a pair of trainers covered in shaggy green raffia, emulating the appearance of grass. It also collaborated with French metal artist Elie Hirsch to produce a series of bulbous pewter and copper jackets.

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      “I sometimes feel like I fell into doing fashion” says Jonathan Anderson

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      Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson set up the brand’s annual craft prize to decode the “chintz” and “pastiche” associations of the discipline, he tells Dezeen in this interview.

      Luxury fashion house Loewe recently announced the sixth winner of its annual craft prize at NYCxDesign, which celebrates applied arts and innovation in modern craftsmanship.
      A spiky egg sculpture by Japanese ceramicist Eriko Inazaki was selected for the 2023 award from more than 2,700 entries.
      “It became chintz”
      Anderson established The Loewe Foundation Craft Prize in 2016 in an effort to honour the brand’s 19th-century origins as a leather-making craft collective.

      Speaking to Dezeen at the awards ceremony for the prize at The Noguchi Museum in Brooklyn, he explained he also wanted to redefine contemporary understandings of artisanal production.
      “I think from the ’80s onwards, [craft] had become this thing which was linked to mid-century, it was pastiche,” said Anderson.
      “In Britain, for example, there was a lot of money put into crafts and the Arts Council to boost this idea of making, and then it became maybe chintz at some point.”
      The winning sculpture by Eriko Inazaki (front) was displayed among an exhibition of shortlisted projects at NYCxDesign. Photo courtesy of Loewe”The reason why I set the prize up was to try to sort of decode that,” he told Dezeen. “It was like it wasn’t marketed right. The work was there, but the platform was not there.”
      Young creatives are now becoming interested in craft once again, he suggested.
      “I think younger people are starting to realise that, as much as it’s interesting being a contemporary artist, it can be just as interesting to be a rug maker or to make ceramics or to work with wood,” said Anderson.
      “It’s a less sort of diminished form of the arts.”
      “I am probably a shopaholic”
      Before being appointed by Loewe in 2014, Anderson founded his eponymous label, JW Anderson.
      Although differentiated by what Anderson describes as an “angst” at JW Anderson and a “heightened perfection” at Loewe, the two brands share an emphasis on art, design, craft and interiors.
      His collections at Loewe often incorporate elements of applied arts – bringing in collaborators and craftspeople, such as metal artist Elie Hirsch who created solid copper and pewter jackets for its Autumn Winter 2023 collection.
      Loewe also presented a collection of decorated wooden chairs during Milan design week that were created by global artisans.
      “Art for me is always going to be a language no matter what brand I’m in,” he said. “Because I think this is a way for me to kind of explain to the consumer, what I love, or things that I’m fascinated with.”
      Anderson works with the internal architectural team to design stores. Photo by Adrià CañamerasThe Northern Irish designer’s love of craft and art extends to the conception of store interiors for both of his brands.
      JW Anderson recently unveiled its first flagship store in Milan during Milan design week, designed by Anderson in collaboration with 6a Architects.
      “I sometimes feel like I fell into doing fashion but ultimately the interior part is what I love the most,” he said.
      “The thing I love about interiors is, it is a singular kind of environment. Whereas fashion is like a transient period that goes in different environments. I quite like with interiors the control that you can have within space.”
      He described his love of shopping for items to appear in stores.
      “I think I am probably a shopaholic,” he said. “I could be at an auction or be in a gallery and I’ll be like, ‘oh, that’s perfect for Korea or that’s perfect for…’.”
      “I think it just adds this element and a pleasingness for a consumer to go in and to a store and to see an original Rennie Mackintosh chair.”

      Needle-felted chair and spiky ceramic egg feature in Loewe Foundation Craft Prize exhibition

      Anderson feels that for Loewe, the design of stores is sometimes more important than fashion shows.
      “I think stores can be more than just like these commercial vehicles,” he said. “I think, for me, the store is just as important as doing a show. It’s sort of even more important because they have to last longer.”
      “I’m in a very lucky position at Loewe where I decide everything,” he added. “I have an internal architectural team, but I decide every artwork, I decide every door handle, every fixture.”
      However, that does not tempt Anderson to cross over from fashion into interiors permanently.
      “I enjoy it because it’s probably more like a hobby,” he said. “It’s something that distracts me from what I do as a day job, but I do it because of the stage of Loewe or JW Anderson.
      “But I would never see it as something where I would be like, ‘oh, I’m going to be an interior designer’,” he continued. “There are other people out there that are actually really good at it. I think I’m good at it to an extent, but I change my mind too quickly. I would like it for like a day and then I would want to redo it again.”
      The portrait is by Scott Trindle.

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