Christian Lynch, Simon Eisinger, Christopher Connock, Brandon Pass,
Carolynn Karp, Aviva Rubin, Michael Gibson, Erik Brotherton &
Chris Mascari, Project Team
The new Calvin Klein retail flagships establishes a new
environmental expression of Calvin Klein’s identity and aesthetic.
The store, which houses men’s and women’s collections, including
outerwear, formal wear, sportswear and intimate apparel, is divided
into distinct areas by the controlled variation of ceiling height,
material, texture, and light level. Each major area is anchored in
place by a massive concrete volume which establishes its horizontal
and vertical limits. Further spatial articulation is provided by
fritted glass screens, whose refinement, transparency and lightness
are in direct contrast to the rough mass of the concrete. The
custom-designed display fixtures are thought of and organized as an
urban landscape of dedicated and mixed-use structures, high-rise and
low. Each is a variation of three basic materials: blackened steel,
anodized aluminum, and quarter-sawn walnut. Benches woven of
lightweight basalt fiber, also designed by the architects, contrast
with the rigid geometry and solidity of their surroundings. Screens
in the display windows slide in tracks, allowing variable density
and opacity, as well as easy reconfiguration, radically changing the
feel of the storefront over time.