The Dark Italian Fervour

'Fervour' is latest addition to the luxury retail-scape of Bangalore in the form of an exclusive store at Vittal Mallya Road, a hub for luxury brands in the city. This multi brand luxury store concept comprises three leading Italian fashion brands -- DSquared2, Iceberg and Frankie Morello. Designed and created by Nickelxd, the Bangalore based design firm, this exquisitely created space showcases men's and women's apparel, accessories and perfumes, in sync with the global Autumn Winter 2013-14 collection for all the brands.

"We seek to offer these brands in their full line and in season for the discerning fashion conscious consumers of this vibrant city, while a highly trained professional team of merchandisers have worked with the brand houses choosing the launch collection,” says Vatsal Poddar, Vice Chairman, Fervour (A Unit of Unilog Content Solutions Pvt Ltd).

When asked about the reason for opting Nickelxd to design the space, Vatsal added, "Fervour wanted to work with an agency that has an innate understanding of the concept and has original thinking. Our benchmark was not stores that were present in India but a unique concept which would enable the shopper to get an international feel whilst experiencing the shopping concept.”  

The primary intent was to create an international luxury shopping experience for the discerning customer, and the design group has rendered this by carefully weaving line design elements in conjunction with fun and colorful graphic elements into the design.  

Spanning 1700 sq.ft, the entire store has one level. The glass façade frontage of the store lends an open and inviting feel, while signage with minimalist design throws the brand into the spotlight. A backlit panel on the right further reiterates the branding.

Black is the mainstay shade throughout the store. "The reason for using black was to create a subdued yet classy look for the store. We wanted to combine interesting textures and materials using black as a base,” explains Nikhil Baveja, Principal, Nickelxd. To further accentuate the black pitch, a dark cobblestone-like texture has been used for flooring and for the furniture and fixtures. Glossy black glass and brushed stainless steel further create an interesting and contrasting effect.  

Speaking further on the design aspect, Nikhil shares, "We had a special accordion like structure upfront as one of the main focal points in the store. This structure would house all the accessories for the brands. The idea for this design was an unconventional retail display system created in such a way so that one could view all the products at a single glance.”

The two far back walls of the store draw inspiration from artist Mondrian and they display an interesting and colored texture. The interplay of these walls with the overall black provides a unique blend of luxury and vibrancy to the store. The space also flaunts large visuals, strategically located in areas that would catch the eye of the customer, while a projection wall further exhibits videos of the latest fashion clips from the brands.

As product highlight was the main focus for the lighting of the store, warm white spot lights were implanted. This also created a contrasting feel to the store with the dark walls being at the background and products at the foreground.

Speaking about the thought process that went into the trial rooms, Nikhil says, "For the trial rooms we have created two cylinders with sliding half round doors that would be enveloped with black fabric on the outside and be contrasted with shiny black acrylic on the inside.”

Post the launch of the Bangalore store, the brand plans to expand the concept to other cities across the southern part of the country followed by a national roll-out. "We have already started receiving enquiries from interested parties and are in the process of evaluating them,” sums up Vatsal.