28-29 Argyll Street, London W1F 7EB

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Alien kung fu apprentices ‘train’ for a coming battle.

Alien kung fu apprentices ‘train’ for a coming battle.

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A satellite-inspired sacred gong strikes at regular intervals.

A satellite-inspired sacred gong strikes at regular intervals.

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Digital waterfall screens lend a meditative aspect.

Digital waterfall screens lend a meditative aspect.

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Eyewear is unobtrusively positioned around the installations.

Eyewear is unobtrusively positioned around the installations.

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Aliens in robotic ‘suits’ do battle against a bamboo field.

Aliens in robotic ‘suits’ do battle against a bamboo field.

Photography courtesy of Gentle Monster

Gentle Monster Flagship, London


Location:

28-29 Argyll Street, London W1F 7EB

gentlemonster.com

Design Credit:

Gentle Monster
gentlemonster.com

After a brief popup in Selfridges, Eyewear brand Gentle Monster has launched its first European flagship in London’s Soho.

Themed ‘Kung Fu’, the new store delivers an extra-terrestrial interpretation of martial arts over two floors, artfully presenting a mix of kinetic sculptures, eye-catching robotics and quirky aliens mixed in with the brand’s more terrestrial eyewear.

More streamlined than its stores in Asia and the US, which require visitors to journey through complex spaces, the store nevertheless enchants.

With this alien kung fu outing, Gentle Monster has once again tapped into the experience-hungry retail environment.

On the ground floor is the ‘training room’, a kinetic installation where alien martial arts apprentices crafted from elaborate textiles and metals mimic training movements to the sound of a sacred gong.

A waterfall video backdrop by Ryoici Kurakawa lends a meditative note, while a custom incense-inspired fragrance permeates the air. Glasses and sunglasses lurk unobtrusively on minimalist open shelves on walls textured to resemble the surface of Mars.

Downstairs is the ‘battle ground’, where robotic aliens with hydraulic arms do battle in a bamboo forest. A raised amphitheatre doubling as a product display features small alien spectators, while a challenger looks on. Nearby, a hall of fame honours past champions.

Multisensory and beguilingly bewildering, with an emphasis on the tactile, it’s a setting in keeping with the brand’s experimental but wearable pieces.


Words by Stephanie Campisi


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