| Topshop’s
flagship Oxford Circus store had been hiding a little known
concessionary called Boutique. In 2002, fashion’s notoriously
fickle curiosity with all things ‘vintage’ gave
way to a more modern affair. Tank magazine and Newbetter
were approached by Topshop to rehaul Boutique’s image
completely, from concept, to logo, graphics and architecture.
Amidst Topshop’s already over-saturated
image environment, Newbetter’s idea was to employ
the language of erasure, and thus insert something spectacularly
silent in direct contrast. An interior of hard, shiny white
surfaces was contained by a twisting acrylic black ‘ribbon’.
The space hosted a ‘curatorial’ programme where
noted stylists were invited to ‘dress’ the
architecture using items from Boutique’s collection.
Each stylist’s constructed outfit floated in a Perspex
case, drawing customers in, including one Gwyneth Paltrow.
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