Sustainable knitwear model Sheep Inc. has opened its first-ever store at 5 Newburgh Street in London, adjoining to Carnaby Street.
Inviting prospects to completely immerse themselves within the model by way of tactile exploration, suave design and storytelling, the brand new 911 sq ft flagship store has been “designed to seduce the senses”.
Curated music, delicate scents impressed by nature, and ‘careful’ lighting all work collectively to create an environment that’s each playful and thought frightening, whereas additionally “setting the blueprint for future locations”.
Shaped by materials and craft, interactive shows encourage buyers’ contact and digital screens invite tactile exploration showcasing “the journey from sheep to sweater”.
Edzard van der Wyck, co-founder and CEO of Sheep Inc., stated: “With our ‘flagsheep’ store, we set out to create more than just a place to shop. It’s a sensory playground – designed to surprise, delight and fully immerse people in the world of Sheep Inc. We want every visitor to leave feeling part of our flock.”
Mark Brown Studio headed up the store execution, drawing on design expertise with manufacturers together with Acne Studios and Hugo Boss, and delivering the model’s imaginative and prescient of a retail setting the place each element resonates.
The store’s inside balances a contemporary, minimalist gallery aesthetic with naturally sourced supplies, together with reclaimed wooden, pure cork, wool textiles and inexperienced areas that echo pastoral landscapes whereas reinforcing the model’s regenerative ethos.
Sheep Inc. additionally collaborated with designer James Shaw on furnishings, lighting and inside particulars. Known for his progressive method to supplies, Shaw has remodeled reclaimed sources into works that problem notions of waste. Bespoke parts embrace mild fittings resembling floating wool, and clothes hooks and chairs constructed from timber felled in Camden.
In-store installations embrace sculptural sheep head mannequins and immersive zones just like the ‘Softcore Room’, the place the model’s signature mix of extremely mushy New Zealand Merino wool “meets enveloping soundscapes”.
Additionally, each design selection within the store communicates Sheep Inc.’s dedication to nature, transparency and affect. Through the model’s Connected Dot QR codes, customers can hint their particular person garment’s provenance, watch brief movies about their farm’s regenerative practices, and create their very own time interactive capsule – “translating sustainability data into tangible experiences”.
In March, Sheep Inc. secured £5 million of Series A funding with the funding led by Inside Out, alongside entrepreneur Erik Stangvik and former Deloitte associate, Blair Knippel.