Boutique Blitz

It used to be that during Fashion Week, the women had all the fun. Well, the times, they are a-changin’. To celebrate FW’s wrap-up in London, we’ve called on two of the more stylish guys we know, Andreas Mueller and Simon Kristoph Harvey of superfuture for their selection of Europe’s best new shops for men.

COPENHAGEN
Wood Wood
Wood Wood closed down its store at Krystalgade 4 and opened a new flagship, only a few blocks away in downtown Copenhagen. The new space is fantastic, in terms of designer space, there’s a ton of it!. Wood Wood’s menswear designer Karl-Oskar Olsen isn’t just good with clothes, his degree in interior design also helped him in creating a striking retail environment. The store interior has been kept basic and clean, featuring pristine white walls and floor of polished concrete.

What makes the store interesting is the ‘visual layering,’ using simple materials such as wood, MDF [fiberboard] and metal for a variety of playfully designed and moveable displays, partition walls and clothing racks. Combined with a few props they’re all placed in a loosely interpreted geometric pattern. The whole package allows endless different configurations and that will surely entice shoppers to drop by more often.
Grønnegade 1
woodwood.dk

BERLIN
Andreas Murkudis Concept Store
Andreas Murkudis has long been an innovator in Berlin’s retail scene, opening up stores with well-edited collections at inconspicuous locations that transcend the usual context of blatant consumerism found elsewhere. Now that the city’s Mitte area has reached acute hipster brand saturation, the visionary Murkudis has relocated to Tiergarten, an area that may have seen a recent influx of new contemporary art galleries but that’s otherwise totally void of high-end stores. This could very well change as the new and expansive Andreas Murkudis concept store is a bold retail statement that resonates well beyond Berlin’s city limits, and ranks it among the planet’s leading concept stores.

Once again the location is a secluded courtyard, this time the size of a small square, behind a non-descript 1980s office block. The store is box shaped and has a high ceiling, giving it an impressive volume one usually finds in museums. Huge glass windows allow in floods of daylight and is reflected by the all-white minimalist interior crafted by architecture practice gonzalez haase. The store offerings are pretty diverse, from high-end fashion labels (men and women) such as Maison Martin Margiela, Aspesi and Balenciaga, to accessories, shoes, jewellery and cosmetics.
Potsdamerstrasse 77-87, Haus E (Tiergarten Süd)
andreasmurkudis.com

MILAN
Excelsior Milano
This new luxury hub bears testimony to Milan’s status as a global fashion capital. Dubbed Excelsior Milano, it’s a stunning 4,000-sqm. multi-story luxury concept store with a starchitectural edge. Designed by Jean Nouvel, it’s located in a former movie theatre along the Galleria del Corso, and is Italian Gruppo Coin’s first venture in luxury retail. The complex is an audacious injection of modernity in the city’s historical heart. the relation between the pre-existing structure and the new occurs by reflection: the inner walls of the old movie theatre are coated with reflecting paints, while the exterior supports led screens all along the outer edge.

The store’s façades are characterized by horizontal louvers. Detached floors and a large entrance hall to the shopping areas are the elements that characterize the interiors. Excelsior Milano is a true hub of luxe and features cosmetics, apparel, shoes and accessories for men and women. All brands have been sourced by Antonia Giacinti, the savvy buyer of renowned milanese fashion store Antonia, and some of them are exclusive to the store and even to all of Italy. We’re talking a fantastic mix of exclusive brands such as Helmut Lang, 3.1 phillip lim, Haider Ackermann, James Perse and Earnest Sewn. Plans have already been rolled out to open additional Excelsior Milano concept stores in Verona, Padua and Naples.
Galleria del Corso 4 (Duomo)
excelsiormilano.com

LONDON
Orlebar Brown
We look pretty smart in them, plunging and splashing in pools and draping ourselves on sunny beaches across the planet. We’re talking about Orlebar Brown’s luxury resort trunks and its wide range of designs we just can’t have enough of. The brand has just opened its very first store in the Notting Hill area, the very heart of its savvy target demographic in london. The store’s clean basic interior makes the most of the compact, elongated space. Copper clothing racks and storage compartments below are placed along the back wall. A large mirror, cleverly placed on one side of the store visually enlarges the space. Orlebar Brown’s new shop carries all the core styles, from Bulldog, Dane and Setter, to the OB resort collections and our favorite OB editions.
178 Westbourne Grove, entrance On Ledbury Road (Notting Hill)
orlebarbrown.com

Nike 1948
Back in 2008, Nike opened 1948, an innovative retail space and creative platform in London, along with similar spaces in other cities across Europe. Well, with the massive olympics coming up next year, the sportswear brand relaunched the venue after an extensive make-over. 1948 now features a raised mezzanine area above the main product space. This private gallery acts as a creative library and workspace that is open to all. Visitors can access an extensive collection of sports, sports culture and design titles, should they need somewhere to sit back, think in peace and be inspired. Mind you, there’s even a special 1948 iPhone app. Next to stocking Nike footwear and apparel, the relaunched venue stages various sports- and culture-related events.
Bateman’s row, Arches 477-478 (Shoreditch)
1948london.com

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