HONG KONG — Luxury retailer Lane Crawford has given this city a new 82,000-square-foot room with a view.
Its latest location in the International Finance Center skyscraper, boasting spectacular views of Victoria Harbour, aims to appeal to a younger generation and bills itself as Asia’s premier fashion destination.
Designed by New York-based architecture firm Yabu Pushelberg, the $25.6 million, or 200 million Hong Kong dollar, store exemplifies a new design the 154-year-old department store operator plans to roll out into China. Lane Crawford currently has three stores on the mainland, in Shanghai, Harbin and Hanzhou.
The company declined to give sales projections for the unit, which opened Nov. 3.
Upon entering the store from any one of its three entrances, shoppers encounter an open environment. The one-level store isn’t walled off from the atrium looking down into the IFC mall; instead, there are large screens made of bronze, acrylic and wood that allow natural light to filter into the space.
There are windows all along the other side facing the harbor as well as skylights. Some of the dressing-room areas also are lit with natural light.
The architect Glenn Pushelberg described the concept as a “series of beautifully designed rooms that lead the customer through the store like a very well-proportioned luxurious home.”
In addition, there are large art installations — mobiles and hanging sculptures — throughout the store, which were designed by Japanese artist Hirotoshi Sawada and Canadian artist Dennis Lin.
The women’s apparel section consists of four rooms where designer brands are allowed to express their style through decor accents: large, white “pebbles” for Vanessa Bruno, octopus-like clothing rails for Marni.
Outside one of the main rooms —dubbed the New York Penthouse — there is a balcony that overlooks the harbor where shoppers can sit and have a glass of champagne or a coffee.
Men’s wear is divided by the atrium with casual contemporary on one side and suits and made-to-measure on the other. On the contemporary side is a martini bar, as well as a men’s gadget area that offers motorcycle helmets, pens, pipes and tech-based toys such as MP3 players and digital cameras.
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The shoe and accessories department spans 8,000 square feet and includes five sections: designer, contemporary, sports, handbags and fashion accessories. Dior, Celine, Hogan, Marni, Miu Miu, Helmut Lang and Luella will make their appearances at the luxury retailer for the first time.
Other brands featured at the store include Bottega Veneta, Diane von Furstenberg, Etro, Jimmy Choo, Narciso Rodriguez and Stella McCartney.
One new feature is a small book and CD section. “We’re not aiming to be HMV,” a Lane Crawford spokeswoman said, alluding to the British music retailer. The book selection encompasses fashion, architecture and lifestyle sections.
Other additions include a Joyce Beauty section, a designer fragrance room and high-end jewelry by American designers who are popular with celebrities.
The shopping experience will be rounded out by cafe Costa, serving Mediterranean fare. Next spring, the store will be connected to the yet-to-be-completed Four Seasons hotel.
There are plans to open two to three more stores of the new design in the next two years, the spokeswoman said, but the locations haven’t yet been announced.
In addition to the new flagship, the luxury-goods retailer has three other locations in Hong Kong: Pacific Place, Times Square and Canton Road in Tsimshatsui. Its Queens Road East shop has been closed and will be redeveloped under the Lane Crawford banner, but details haven’t been released. There is no word on remodeling the existing stores in Hong Kong to match the design of the flagship, the spokeswoman said.