© WGNB / Photography: Yong-joon Choi

Only three years after its initial opening, founder David Kim is once again shifting gear, both revampingand expanding his upscale multi-brand boutique SVRN – that’s short for ‘sovereign’ – with the help of Seoul-based architecture practice WGNB. The retail space occupies a 390 sqm. (4,198 sq.ft.) unit on the ground floor of Aberdeen East, a newly built mixed-use complex in the West Loop shopping district of Chicago. Kim, who is of Korean origin, has collaborated himself on the design codes, resulting in settings that blend East and West in interesting ways. So, while the assertive Western perspective looks directly at the object itself, the Asian perspective is way more inclusive and focuses on the surrounding relationship of the object instead.

The SVRN store basically is divided into two sections—the main sales floor which is dotted with monolithic fixtures that create a flow of shoppers navigating within, and it’s one that pretty much determines their spatial experience, and there’s a backroom which is designed with brushed stainless steel and contrasting micro-cement plaster paints. An endless row of pitch black beams overhead have embedded lighting and add to the visual dynamic. SVRN boutique has been a wayfarer of sorts in the Windy City, offering a unique and tightly curated mix of high-end men’s and women’s items that straddle both streetwear and fashion. The current brand list very much reflects the sensibilities of today’s fashion forward crowd, and includes coveted names such as JW Anderson, Nike, GANNI, Rick Owens, Yume Yume and Casablanca.

SVRN
171 North Aberdeen Street (West Loop)
Chicago, IL 60607
Telephone: +1 312 6248319
Mon 11am-5pm
Tue-Sat 11am-7pm
Sun 11am-5pm

© WGNB / Photography: Yong-joon Choi