KLASSE14 celebrates time in its one-of-a-kind concept store
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KLASSE14 has officially landed in Hong Kong with its one-of-a-kind concept store.
KLASSE14 retail space incarnates the value for time, key element that defines the brand ordinarily unique experience.
KLASSE14 is a fashion & lifestyle brand with an Italian soul fed by Mario Nobile’s creativity. The brand, established in 2014, has rapidly enchanted millennials across different markets such as Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Australia, and also Italy and Switzerland through hundreds point of sales and kiosks with major retail partners.
In 2018, the brand decided to open its first concept store Ciao Hong Kong in HK to pay homage to the city, where the company started its journey and it is still headquartered.
The store is the result of years of activity that forged the brand identity and personality of the brand, which found its ultimate materialization into a bright white canvas in Wyndham Street aimed to host dreams and love for its aficionados.
The retail concept has been created by Paolo Giannelli, Founding Partner at Area-17 exclusively for KLASSE14, in close collaboration with Mario Nobile, the Creative Director of the brand.
Shiny “winged hands”, KLASSE14’s emblem, welcome the visitors. KLASSE14 logo has its root in a photo with a couple shaking hands and wearing “Volare”, the brand’s top item. The photo became viral on the Internet and couples started sharing the same photo as symbol of their love, so that KLASSE14 decided to transform it into its symbol in order to highlight the important role that the community of fans has played in the brand development.
“KLASSE14 is a fashion & lifestyle brand with an Italian soul fed by Mario Nobile’s creativity.”
The store resembles a museum space, where timepieces are exhibited in a series of elements distributed diagonally in a narrow and deep room. The inspiration of the retail concept comes from KLASSE14 watches. The layout of the store is conceived as a canvas to host the visionary and essential product design, which led the research of materials, colours, shapes and lights that work as a natural extension of the products.
The store is divided into two levels. The ground floor is dedicated to the product, with showcases inspired by the design of the flared dial of the watches, with cuts of light on the edges display the products. The two plain walls, deliberately left free to let the products stand out, host very unique elements, such as the wall-mounted showcases, mixed with a lighting-box and a series of electronic devices that enable the customer to interact directly with the brand and use social media to share the moment, a touchscreen grafted in the wall also enables the visitors to explore the brand content online while waiting to be served.
Walking up to the second floor visitors’ attention is caught by split monitor tiles, on which the photos of the advertising campaign are looped, making a coloured waterfall that descends from the first floor to the ground floor. The first floor is an experiential space, where the brand invites its customers to a small lounge to know them better. The same space is also dedicated to packaging, which becomes a ritual as customers can personalize cards for their beloved ones.
The store is overall a celebration of white colour and light, and features as interior design elements masterpieces such as Tolomeo lamps by Artemide and Colubi armchairs by Viccarbe.
As the store is conceived as museum space, it will host different workshops to engage HK community. KLASSE14 is a very young brand which finds its muses in young tech-savvy generations setting fashion trends. The brand owes its popularity to its community of fans that post after post built a strong branding discourse around it made of moments of shared happiness.
KLASSE14 is positioned in the market as a fashion brand releasing different collections throughout the year inspired by global fashion trends, but also its community of fans’ new needs. KLASSE14 is a gifting company, its watches celebrate moments and are chosen to be a symbol of togetherness and connection with the beloved ones.
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Questions & Answers
Q.What led KLASSE14 to choose Hong Kong for its first concept store?
What led KLASSE14 to choose Hong Kong for its first concept store?
The brand decided to open its first concept store in Hong Kong as a tribute to the city. It was in Hong Kong that the company initially started its journey and where it remains headquartered today.
Q.How does the store's design incorporate elements from KLASSE14's products?
How does the store's design incorporate elements from KLASSE14's products?
The store's layout is inspired by KLASSE14 watches, conceived as a canvas to host the product design. Shows on the ground floor draw from the flared dial of the watches, with light cuts displaying them.
Q.What interactive features are available for customers on the ground floor?
What interactive features are available for customers on the ground floor?
Customers can engage with wall-mounted shows, a lighting-box, and electronic devices. These allow them to interact with the brand, share moments on social media, and explore online content via a touchscreen.
Q.How does the brand acknowledge its fan community within the store's design?
How does the brand acknowledge its fan community within the store's design?
The brand's emblem, 'winged hands,' welcoming visitors, originated from a viral photo of a couple wearing their 'Volare' watches. This symbol highlights the crucial role fans played in the brand's development.
Reader pulse
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