The Project
The simple, elegant facade of Givenchy’s flagship prêt-à-porter boutique, on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, gives little away: large, undressed windows mean that the interior of shop is itself the window display. Dominating the restrained white interior are five majestic black boxes. Their surfaces appear like black glass but closer inspection reveals charred oak under layers of resin. In between the sculpted black forms the collection is displayed on mannequins hung from the ceiling, gently swaying in neutral space.
Visitors to the Givenchy boutique are encouraged to discover the prêt-à-porter collection through an exploration of the physical boundaries of the black boxes. As they step inside a box the scale suddenly becomes intimate and domestic. Every box houses part of the collection and is lined with a casting of Parisian panelling, each with a different materiality, from white plaster to dark leather. Memories are triggered by the materiality and romantic forms contained within.
Photography ©Sue Barr
Development
Oak was burnt and laminated for the exterior of the black boxes
Casting the Parisian panelling, and leather