If you've never been to the Prada store in SOHO NYC, it's really worth a visit.
It's the no.3 Prada store in the network, after NYC's 5th avenue store and the original store in Milan. Their customer base split is 65% female and 35% male. Interestingly enough the male section is actually at street level. This was a strategic move for menswear last year as it was felt men would suit shopping in an open plan area more and women prefered the privacy of the downstairs area.
There are a number of unique attributes about this store. Firstly as you enter, a wall spanning the entire length of the store greets you. This wall is a handcrafted piece of art from floor to ceiling reflecting the current collection and is replaced each season.
There is a 'wave' area right in the middle of the store which hosts a number of private shows and ticketed events. The 'wave' is made of zebrawood and when an event is being held a stage platform rises out of the floor with a huge LCD screen beneath it.
The entire store has been designed to change with the season. Each shelving piece is hung on cages from tracks in the ceiling. They are actually the same design as in a car manufacturing plant. This means that each shelving piece can be moved around freely. The lower levels of the stores are divided into individual rooms hosting different lines from the season's collection. The walls to these rooms are also all on sliding tracks allowing the size of each room to change according to the level of stock/space required.
The VIP areas are sectioned off booths where people can enjoy a personal shopper choosing their pieces carefully based on their desire. The changing areas in these booths have not only 360-degree mirrors but also a camera that sits behind you projecting an image of the back onto a screen in front.
Possibly the most talked about area that most people have heard about is the infamous changing rooms in the main area of the store. These are clear glass panels that frost up when you touch a sensor inside them. 7 or so years ago when these first appeared in Prada stores they were deemed to be at the cutting edge of retail technology. An area which Prada feels they want to reassess and improve on today. So much so that they are currently working on an interactive display to feature on the main wall as you enter the store as part of their 2011 seasonal collection.
The last thing to note is that every creative decision is based of the seasons catwalk fashion show, from the look of the advertising, the uniforms worn by sales assistants to the complete in-store design.
With such a uniquely designed store you can only ask the question 'what next'? Well word has it that in development for Prada's next flagship store is a completely interchangable environment. Constantly wanting to update the store with the seasons fashions, Prada are developing a store with 4 main mechanical parts. Each of these parts with form the fixtures and fittings of the store and be able to rotate, turn and twist to enable a new environment to be created each season. So there you have it history in the making, you heard it here first!
