“The Progen brand has always paid great attention to providing customised and personalised services to its customers,” says the Shanghai and London-based firm Greater Dog Architects on the ethos of their collaboration with the brand for their recently completed retail space in Ningbo, China. “They hope that through the design of the space, display and details, they can reveal a sense of exclusivity.”

Progen, one of the country's leading clothing brands specialising in business suits wanted a distinctive and sustainable design identity for their new store in the port city located in Zhejiang province. Further, they wanted to explore an easily replicable retail store model in the wake of newly planned operational strategies.

The Chinese architects—known for adopting an experimental, storytelling approach in their body of work—researched several display props and devised strategies to define Progen's retail store design with an affordable, eco-friendly and speedy approach. Adopting a ‘Wardrobe Island' concept for the interior design, the idea as per the design team, "aimed to push the limits of single components and materials, exploring their adaptability to any clothing display attribute and multi-functionality." The ambition was to create a space that accommodates a wide range of operational changes while maintaining a cohesive brand identity, which required meticulous planning and careful execution. Stripping the location of unnecessary elements, the retail interiors feature an exposed dark grey ceiling, offset by an ambient linear lighting design scheme laid in a sequential grid.

The entrance to the store exudes a sense of quiet luxury, with a muted colour scheme and a triangular display inviting customers into the space. The in-store display trolleys next to the storefront glazing feature a stainless steel track underneath that acts as a guideline to allow for smooth alterations in display arrangements. While a cycle on the centrepiece trolley ties this transitional space together, the branded display wardrobes allow visitors a chance to acquaint themselves with the brand’s story and product highlights. The prop display wardrobes showcase the materials and elements used in creating the furniture for the store. These along with two window display testing booths create an enclosure for visitors to familiarise themselves with the store’s environment.

The store's central space is built around a concrete column, allowing the designers to integrate the cashier’s desk and a tea area. This island-like counter visually divides the brand display area and the professional display area, which features a lounge area in the middle of six uniform display wardrobes that showcase the dressing and craft details unique to every professional attire. A series of categorised single-item displays surround the space, featuring suits, trousers, coats, jackets, shirts, sweaters, hoodies and polo shirts.

Beyond the primary store space lies areas to change, display and measure and a custom area housing a display rack, two trolley tables and a seating area. A movable full-body mirror and movable accessory trolleys throughout the store’s spaces streamline the flow of activities. The display cabinets, marked by graphical features, provide easy navigation. As the designers note, the retail architecture “features a playfully contrasting aesthetic, resembling a hardware store” more than a showroom for a high-end brand.

The flexible design for the display system devised by the architects is derived from the concept of a recyclable wardrobe that is affordable and easy to produce. It includes a standard system of wardrobes, made from birch plywood and polycarbonate panels, that use variations of a 30 mm X 30 mm T-slotted profile for better interlocking. This allows the modules to be assembled flexibly while being an affordable and lightweight solution. These profiles have grooves as connections for installing slots, concealing LED strips and achieving a cleaner look. The branded display wardrobe and uniform display wardrobe are derivative series of the standard wardrobe with light boxes on top, 30 mm X 30 mm L- shaped profiles and smaller parts such as T-shaped slider nuts and ring screws, which are utilised in different ways.

The standard wardrobe series offers several combinations for multiple functions and sizes according to the spatial requirements. The elements can be arranged in a crossed profile, placed consecutively or clubbed together side by side to create variations in the division of space and interaction of the users with the products.

The architects mention that finding materials that met the required criteria and creating a space that could accommodate a wide range of operational changes while maintaining a cohesive brand identity were the key challenges they faced in devising a modular design system for the retail displays. All furniture pieces from the props series, they add, were essential for a smooth and playful premium retail experience—display trolleys, accessory trolleys, trolley workbenches, adjustable clothing racks and movable mirrors.

With the Progen Suit model, the retail design introduces an editable system for display that allows for greater flexibility and adaptability. The use of recyclable wardrobes and modular display props enables the store to change certain furniture pieces and their presentation according to different operational needs and seasons. This dynamic approach to retail design enhances the customer's interaction with the brand and its products, making the shopping experience more engaging and personalised. Not only does it engage visitors in a playful manner, but the design also ensures that they positively associate their experience with the brand’s spirit and design ingenuity.

Project Details

Name: Projen Suit Retail Space
Location: Ningbo, China
Client: Progen Group
Architect: Greater Dog Architects
Design Team: Zhihong HU, Jin XIN, Manyan HE, Alex WU, Vivi XIAN
Construction: Hangzhou Shenming Construction
Site Area: 345 sqm
Year of Completion: 2024

(Text by Bansari Paghdar, intern at STIR)