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    Studio XAG creates fixtures for Coach pop-up using discarded leather scraps

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    A colourful, reconstituted leather made from cutting room scraps was among the recycled materials used to create the fixtures and fittings for Coachtopia, a London pop-up store for American label Coach.

    Located in the Wonder Room at Selfridges in London, the temporary store was created to launch a new collection of Coach products crafted from reused leather bags and recycled materials.
    Called Coachtopia, the collection seeks to challenge fashion’s linear system where most products end up in landfill.
    Coachtopia was located in department store Selfridges’ Wonder RoomEach of the products in the Coachtopia collection has a clear pathway for reuse and recycling, according to the brand, and comes with an embedded NFC chip that tracks its lifecycle.
    Chosen by Coach for its sustainable approach and B Corp-certified status, retail experience agency Studio XAG was commissioned to create a temporary store space to launch the product line.

    The resulting space, which features a modular display system made of recyclable parts that slot together, has been shortlisted in the retail interior (small) category of Dezeen Awards 2023.
    It features display counters made from reconstituted leather”The Coachtopia product line is designed to be ‘circular from the start’ – considering the future life of a product proactively, rather than reactively,” Studio XAG said.
    “We mirrored Coach’s circular ethos for the collection through three approaches to the physical space.”
    The first approach was to keep the use of virgin materials to a minimum by using repurposed neon flex, recycled leather scraps and Ecoboard – a material made from agricultural waste.
    The modular fixtures were “made to be remade”Secondly, Studio XAG ensured that the modular fixtures, like the products on sale, were ‘made to be remade’ and could be disassembled and repurposed at the end of their current use.
    Finally, the studio selected materials that offer meaningful recycling opportunities at their eventual end of life and said it considered the embodied carbon, toxicity and afterlife opportunities in every component.

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    “The challenge was to create a pop-up that would have visual impact, but could be dismantled and rebuilt in new locations, again and again,” explained Studio XAG.
    “Any items which couldn’t be used in a future pop-up, such as the hoarding and some of the wall panels, were donated to Selfridges to use in their future launches.”
    Studio XAG used Ecoboard to create displaysThe collection’s slogan Have Taste Love Waste, which serves as a statement of intent and action, was boldly written in neon signage crafted from offcuts of neon flex that would otherwise be discarded.
    The lighting will be reused for other key stores, including Coach’s flagship on Regent Street.
    The store’s slogan was made from reused neon flex”To create a sustainable lighting solution was a challenge, as most neon alternatives are manufactured from virgin materials,” explained Studio XAG.
    “To resolve this, we contacted a lighting manufacturer and requested that they collect all their offcuts from previous projects over the months leading up to the installation of Coachtopia,” it added.
    “All of these offcuts were then meticulously threaded together to make a unique set of signs, made up of hundreds of individual scraps which would have otherwise been thrown in the bin.”
    Studio XAG chose materials that “offer meaningful recycling opportunities”The Coachtopia tables and display units are covered in reconstituted leather made using scraps from the cutting-room floor that might have otherwise gone to landfill.
    These modular pieces can easily be taken apart using a system of slotting together rather than permanent glueing or fixing.
    Colourful leather scraps were used to create displaysEcoboard – a carbon-negative material manufactured in the Netherlands from seasonal agricultural waste like straw, seeds, rice and corn – was used in place of MDF. Unlike MDF, Ecoboard does not emit any damaging organic acids.
    “In the Wonder Room, visitors are given insight into what circularity means for the future of fashion,” commented the studio. “The space feels exploratory and educational, using sustainable materiality and clear signage as a guide.”
    Other projects shortlisted in the retail interiors (small) category include a gallery shop in Australia housed in a “translucent bubble” and a steel-clad boutique in Bratislava.

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      Bill Amberg Studio creates ribbon-like leather ceiling for London office lobby

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      Padded leather panels twist their way across the ceiling in the lobby of the 22 Bishopsgate skyscraper in London as part of an installation developed for the office building by leather specialist Bill Amberg Studio.

      The atrium spans the ground and first floor of the 62-storey skyscraper, which was designed by PLP Architecture and completed in 2020.
      This lobby, known as The Library, serves as the centre point between the building’s two entrances and doubles as a gallery showing temporary art exhibitions.
      Bill Amberg Studio has created a ceiling installation for the 22 Bishopsgate lobbyThe brief called for an installation with visual impact to draw people into the space from outside of the building.
      Working closely with PLP Architecture over the course of three years, Bill Amberg Studio created a ceiling installation made from twisted leather panels that resemble pieces of ribbon.

      The padded panels rise up from the escalator soffit at ground level and twist across the ceiling before returning to floor level on the opposite side of the entrance hall.
      It consists of flat and twisted leather panelsBacklit by a Barrisol ceiling system, the installation was designed to add a “warm heart” to the building, the studio says.
      Its construction consists of a two-part shell that was designed and developed at the studio, with the leatherwork carried out by specialist craftspeople in the Bill Amberg Studio workshop in Park Royal, north London.

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      The studio developed a heavily drummed and naturally grained leather especially to upholster the installation and complement the office’s internal finishes of stone and steel.
      Its soft tan finish has natural tonal and textural variations, helping to create a sense of warmth while differentiating the panels.
      Leather-clad panelling was also added to the walls of the atrium across both the ground floor and the first floor, creating a sense of continuity within the building.
      Leather panelling was added to the walls to create a cohesive look”It was a challenging project but immensely satisfying to see the final installation, showing that leatherwork can enhance and bring warmth to large open spaces on a grand scale,” commented Bill Amberg, founder and director of Bill Amberg Studio.
      Previously, the specialist leather studio has teamed up with well-known designers including Marcel Wanders and Timorous Beasties to digitally print cowhides with close-up fractal patterns and colourful splatters resembling Rorschach tests.

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