circle studio shanghai's grey fashion gallery delivers a gentle environment in guiyang

the design theme determination of circle studio shanghai’s ‘31 shades of grey fashion art gallery’ in guiyang, china is actually a natural growth process. all basic information powers out through the designer’s mind like a magical creation machinery. TAG boutique is a fusion space of multiple brands and contents. men’s wear, women’s wear and accessories are in the same space to be sold. in terms of style, there are formal dresses and street-style clothes; there are not only fancy catwalk-shows, but also a cafe bar inside.

all images by qingshan wu

during the brainstorming phase, chinese based practice circle studio shanghai finds out the ‘analogy’ between space of gallery and collection store. in this ‘analogy’, the project team gets the prototype of the TAG design. in a general way, the fashion collection exhibited in the retail store can be seen as artworks. the owner also wants TAG boutique to keep a kind of artistic taste. circle studio is determined to design a ‘fashion art gallery’, therefore needing to develop the plan of a fashion boutique like doing a gallery design. guided by this idea, the architects begin to organize the space.

TAG boutique is a fusion space of multiple brands and contents

the exhibition walls are alternately arranged on square planes for presentation of clothes. referencing the classical flow pattern in early morden, the arrangement of exhibition walls leads customers into a flowing and unstopping space. cubic showcases are interspersed between exhibition walls to display accessories. the design of stairs is designed to be more than a functional element but also a showing space as in a gallery, and finally becoming the focus inside the whole space. the atmosphere created by the professional wall washer light, along with mega-size exhibition wall on one side of capacious stair space highlight the theme of ‘art gallery’, linking art and fashion closely. the purpose of art gallery is to display art exhibits.

in a general way, the fashion collection exhibited in the retail store can be seen as artworks

circle studio’s TAG fashion boutique borrows the idea, taking full grey hue as the space keynote to showcase clothes of different styles. there are around 30 shades of grey with various choices and texture possibilities, obtaining abundant gradations and bringing exquisite feelings to the interior space. in the view of texture combination, circle studio hopes to form a kind of tension through comparison between different textures, bringing dramatic effects and making space texture rich and changeable. felt, terrazzo, calico aluminum plates, bare concretes, artistic cement paint, corrugated aluminum plates and marble appear alternately in space, jointly fostering a delicate ‘grey’ space.

the owner also wants TAG boutique to keep a kind of artistic taste

in line with natural light and artificial illumination, the grey space reflects elegant and peaceful temperament, which is as quiet and attractive as morandi’s paintings. meanwhile, the sense of ceremony and mystery brought by the grey ‘art gallery’ makes the exhibited goods obtain an artistic sublimation, promoting the quality sense of people’s shopping experience. the applications of ‘analogy’ space rhetoric and design method of art gallery make it accessible for fashion boutiques to obtain extraordinary performance dimensions. this design also enables us to gain remarkable experience.

there are not only fancy catwalk-shows, but also a cafe bar inside

the architects begin to organize the space as a fashion boutique

circle studio’s TAG fashion boutique takes the full grey hue as the space keynote

there are around 30 shades of grey with various choices and texture possibilities

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: apostolos costarangos | designboom