Radley, bags glorious bags
They do make beautiful bags for every occasion and now the UK’s leading handbag and accessories brand, Radley has an equally beautiful store design that positively sings its praises. This latest dreamy store interior is exquisitely crafted with an air of quality and just the right amount of good old British reserve. Radley is a British brand, through and through and its latest store fitout, being rolled out across the UK as I write and debuted in the Metro Centre, Newcastle fits it perfectly.
A subdued colour palette and refined design add depth to the hand crafted, superior product that is Radley. The exterior palette of heritage-inspired greys and greens expresses its British roots perfectly, whilst tones of soft pink, purple and creams instore complement the colours of the brand and create a sophisticated and feminine feel. The use of lamps, wooden units and other objets d’art create a more approachable, homely feel. All in all, this is an exceedingly well appointed store that is finished to a very high specification.
Although modern, it is nevertheless heavily merchandised and uses an equally busy, storytelling approach in its window displays. This little eccentricity within the store design is equalled in the product itself as it is in our British culture. The iconic Radley dog tag, customary beads and tassels inherent in the brand, add a little bit of quirkiness to an otherwise smart, well-designed item. Likewise, window displays mix product and unrelated items, such as cake stands, books, pictures for a slightly ‘off the wall’ look.
Whilst Radley’s cool, contemporary facade does not command the same wow factor as White Stuff’s Edinburgh store, it is nonetheless eye catching. As part of an enormous shopping centre, the new Radley shop stands out because it refuses to compete with the masses as the loudest, brightest, largest store – it is simply elegant!
The uncomplicated store front allows you to see the full extent of the retail environment within. Every piece of display furniture appears hand crafted or bespoke and is finished in wood and painted cream for a modern twist. The traditional units have carved cornices and spindle legs to further convey this classic look. Glass shelving is used throughout and the perimeter walls have minimal supports so they appear to float. Further tall, freestanding display cabinets, reminiscent of those found in a jewellers, display mixed product and give a museum like quality to the interior. My favourite items have to be the low level, free standing display cabinets used here to display smaller items, such as purses and gloves. Another nice touch is the use of line drawings of the various products on the walls, giving a lovely artisan feel, delicate and intricate. Lighting is also good and bounces around the softly coloured surfaces throwing light onto the multitude of sublimely coloured leather goods.
Radley is a very clever brand and has commandeered the leather goods accessories market and turned itself into a brand with a phenomenal range of products that women love to buy. Paul Donoghue at Radley commented, “I think that Caulder Moore have not just understood but have had great empathy and truly got under the skin of the brand. Likewise I think it is about helping us reposition but to a certain extent they have helped us articulate who we have wanted to be and the store reflects the products we make and how we feel about them. When I first saw the store complete it hit me that we had finally connected all the parts of the brand into a physical space”.
Design: Caulder Moore
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sdea directory of shopfittings and display
www.shopdisplay.org
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