RETAIL
Don’t touch:
Bonsoir
Paris bends
the rules
of in-store
interaction
PARIS – Most retailers with numerous stores
adopt a spread-and-conquer approach, aim-
ing for outlets citywide. Shinzo Paris, on the
other hand, has cultivated a cluster of six
(soon to be seven) shops on one street. The
multi-brand sports-and-streetwear label is
dotted along Rue Étienne Marcel, a tourist
destination in the French capital frequented
by exponents of Shinzo’s young international
target market. Joining outposts specialized in
the likes of basketball, running and skate-
boarding is a flagship designed by Bonsoir
Paris, the first external party to conceptualize
a Shinzo store. The 250-m^2 project represents
the studio’s biggest spatial overhaul to date,
as well as its predilection for blending archi-
tecture and technology. Bonsoir Paris was
involved in every aspect of the design, from
the interiors to the furniture and detailing to
each technology-infused element. The stu-
dio’s Morgan Maccari (founder and creative
director) and Fanny Dora (design director)
explain why, in the age of experience-driven
retail, their space is practically untouchable.What was Shinzo’s goal with this next-gen-
eration store? MORGAN MACCARI: Shinzo
represents various brands and products.
Some are focused on innovation and tech-
nology, whereas others are more traditional.The client wanted to illustrate this diversity
through different universes. Our challenge
was to create distinct atmospheres within
a larger environment.
FANNY DORA: In these ‘universes’,
customers can interact with products and
formulate stories.How do customers interact with the mer-
chandise? FD: One of the client’s require-
ments was that all products were to be kept
behind glass; she doesn’t want displays to be
touched or interrupted. Through a dialogue
between physical and digital, we came up
with an experience that counteracts the frus-
tration of not being able to touch.
MM: Retail stores often become
messy by the end of the day. Shinzo wants
each customer to encounter the same spatial
expression, regardless of when they enter.
In that respect, a trip to Shinzo is akin to a
museum visit. We treated everything like an
art piece – no product is shown twice.
FD: With the help of a tablet in the
second room, The Lab, customers can digi-
tally piece together an outfit, which is then
composed in the real-life carousel. Shoppers
become actors rather than spectators, a role
that continues even after they’ve left the
store. Once a client has coordinated her »98 SPACES