COS Newmarket is a much-loved fashion store retailer opened their flagship store’s doors in New Zealand’s Westfield Newmarket, their first store in the country.
Offering modern, functional, and timeless designs for men, women, and children, the brand has built up a stellar reputation since their opening in 2007, with art and design at the center of the brands’ ethos.
The brand has a focus on using sustainable fabrics and material innovation, with a goal to be using primarily recycled or repurposed materials by 2040. This is the inspiration behind their collections as well as their store spaces.
For this unique project, Katherine Kouli was allocated to oversee the project in her previous corporate role, from start to finish as client-side Project Manager. Katherine says, “The brand is all about design and construction of clean lines, as well as minimalism and seamless transitions from one room to another. It’s really about detailed documentation and having the construction team and design team work well together. That’s where the possibilities become endless.”
Working with New Zealand-based design team Ignite Architects, Katherine was able to create a space that would reflect the elegance and minimal aesthetic you would expect from the international label. Katherine then collaborated with Complete Construction, an experienced and highly regarded construction firm heralding from New Zealand.
From the outside, Newmarket’s flagship store is minimalistic at its finest and was selected to complement the store’s surroundings. The client proposed an image of a volcanic rock wall, with the end result an external façade built out of volcanic New Zealand basalt layered in different lengths to achieve a volcanic wall formation. Those who enter are rewarded with stunning spatial design and light, with natural light flooding the store through floor-to-ceiling windows.
The centrepiece of the flagship store is without question the mesmerising spiral staircase connecting the two levels of the store.
“Here I was given an image of a spiral staircase from Europe by the clients overseas design team, and had to modify the design to suit New Zealand architecture compliance with the assistance of our structural engineers and builders,” Katherine says.
“This truly was the most bespoke part of the process, from structural engineer requirements to delivery on-site, landing, finish and ceiling details. It was a fantastic challenge.”
Both upper and lower levels of the store exhibit fashion pieces as if in a gallery, with materials such as garment hanging units, timber flooring, and lighting supplied by the client to maintain consistency with the stores worldwide, as well as to maintain cost efficiency for such a large-scale brand.
“Lastly, sourcing of local materials where possible was key to making the design local, such as the basalt facade and terrazzo flooring,” says Katherine.
This iconic brands’ store spaces are an example of how fashion and architecture are now becoming synonymous with each other, and how they can enhance each other’s creative ground.
Katherine says, “Because the brand has such strict design guidelines to align with their iconic brand, the client initially provided several images for the design team to work with.”
