As one of nine brands of JNBY Group, a Hangzhou-based high-end fashion conglomerate, SAMO specifically targets a professional male demographic with timeless and versatile dressy designs, and obviously, a fitting physical retail concept is essential. For SAMO‘s newest boutique at Paradise Walk, a landmark shopping centre in the downtown Daping area of Chongqing, the company collaborated with Sò Studio, an architecture practice based in Shanghai. Interestingly, the interior design concept takes cues from the ancient Greek word palimpsest, a manuscript scroll which could be scraped off and rewritten with new contents. As such, in the process of continuous rewriting, traces of previous texts would be retained. Situated on a subterranean level, the SAMO store occupies an elongated 120 sqm. (1,292 sq.ft.) unit, demarcated by a metal scaffolding-like structure which can be enhanced by attaching large boards with visuals. The interior is austere yet featuring a variety of materials such as concrete, glazed bricks and granite stone, but also embedding original elements of the building, giving the premises an eclectically layered look which totally adhere to the design concept. Interestingly, there’s also an artsy twist to in the design as the fitting rooms of the SAMO store are inspired by the work of acclaimed British artist Rachel Whiteread. Known for her works which take on the form of casts, the fitting rooms are an assemblage of repurposed cabinets. Furnishings and fixtures loosely reference the aforementioned scaffolding, incorporating similar metal beams as functional and decorative elements.
SAMO
Paradise Walk, 6 Beicheng Tian Jie, Level L1 (Daping)
400020 Chongqing
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
