Contract - July/August 2011 - (Page 94)
Layout aside, C&A faced a much more prominent problem—the need to cater to a higher tier of shoppers. A new upper middle–class demographic has emerged in São Paulo over recent decades and the Iguatemi mall likewise evolved to feature luxury retailers that appeal to this more affluent demographic.
Chute Gerdeman had worked with C&A on multiple locations and prototypes in Brazil since 2007. Yet the designers knew that this project would be different than anything they had conceptualized before. The 24,130-square-foot store needed a better merchandising layout and strategy to present its assortment of work and lifestyle fashions. More importantly, C&A “needed a more unified, active brand story to stay relevant, to better resonate with the local clientele, and to compete for market share against its high-end neighbors,” says Joanna Felder, Chute Gerdeman’s vice president of intelligence and brand strategy. A Tiffany & Co. store, for example, is located directly across from C&A. “It was important for us to create a space that was unique and special but would also function well,” Felder says. The challenge was to work around the low, fixed ceilings and concrete stairways to evoke a sense of luxury on a modest budget. With the intention of capturing the vibrant sensuality of the local culture, the designers focused on making light the central design element. “We established this idea of sunshine pouring down as energy in a shaft of light,” says Jay Highland, Chute Gerdeman’s vice president of brand and marketing. A large spiral staircase, framed by three-story walls covered with LEDs, is an abstract interpretation of the “tunnel of light” concept, and also a vertical wayfinder for
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contract july/august 2011
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - July/August 2011
Contract - July/August 2011
Contents
Editorial
Industry News
Product Focus: Change it Up
Product Focus: Angling for Attention
Product Focus: (Good) Writing on the Wall
Product Focus: Come Together
Best of NeoCon® 2011
Making a Marc
Becoming Kate
Ray of Light
True Blue
Nature Speaks
A New Home
Bloomie's New Edition
Shring to Fitness
Practice: Smaller, Sustainable Retail
Trends: Retail Retrofit
Designers Select: Fabrics
Sources
Ad Index
Perspectives
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