Menu
Helping a fledgling luxury bohemian lifestyle boutique brand capitalize on early success and take a bold step into a prominent new anchor location
“It’s a much bigger space and a massive opportunity. In such a prominent location there is no room to be average. This simply has to be amazing”
Zdenka Rejha, Founder, Badger & Fox
The Luxury Bohemian Lifestyle and Fashion boutique Badger & Fox launched from a small unit at Tanglin Mall with great success in 2018. The brand soon outgrew it’s first location, and has subsequently secured a larger space within Tanglin Mall.
Scaling up from a 400 sqft space to over 800 sqft highlighted the need to think carefully about the curation of retail display and the sequencing of the customer journey. This was an opportunity to carefully consider what were the most important qualities the brand needed to communicate to it’s customers.
The very first fundamental requirement of the space was to create a place that Customers and passers-by alike simply wanted to inhabit. During the design stage we asked ourselves what people enjoy the most about shopping at Badger & Fox and what could potentially enhance this experience.
Creating spaces at a human and residential scale became the key design driver, and guiding principle for decision making.
With the roadmap for decision making clear, the design evolved to deliver the following key qualities and components:
– A Tale of Two Rooms
By far the biggest design gamble was the decision to create a dividing wall in the center of the store. Although much bigger than the previous store location, 800 sqft is still not huge, and there was a fear that separating the store into two halves would result in a cramped feel. This feat was unrealized though, and the wall became the defining feature of the experience, as it delivered on many counts.
– Street Facing Symmetry
The placement of the wall was designed to run parallel to the street-facing window. This in turn hid the Sales Counter and store room from the street view and set the stage for a the window shelving to carry the symmetry and enhance the first impression on pedestrian traffic further. The symmetry of the wall either side of the central arch is achieved by mirroring the smaller arch shapes either side; the two nearest the entry are double-sided retail niches, while the two furthest from the door provide access (though curtains) to two changing rooms.
– The Framed Reveal
In the center of the dividing wall, a deep archway forms a viewing frame for the product display laid out on the long table in the center of the street-facing space. The framing has the effect of highlighting these products and celebrating their presence, by focus the eye.
– Content is King
Beyond the single signature design statement of the dividing arch wall, the intent for the remainder of the design was to step back as far as possible in order to allow the quality and uniqueness of the store’s products to speak for themselves. Simple white walls and a black ceiling ensure that the focus remains on the incredible artisanry and craftstmanship of the products for sale in the store.
With limited need for partition work, the majority of the discretionary fit-out budget allocation (beyond the essentials such as Electrical and MEP services) was targeted at the display shelving in order to achieve quality finishes to showcase the product in the best possible light.
The most significant challenge came after the handover following Landlord’s rectification. Since no accurate drawings of the existing space were available prior to the design stages, some significant discrepancies became evident, requiring one major design revision. Fortunately VUCA VUCA’s immersive 3D modelling process (which is carried all the way into Construction Documentation) allows for these changes to be made right up until the final minute, and no time was lost by the Contractor.
Badger and Fox’s contribution to the overall renovation and refreshment of Tanglin Mall has been extremely well received. Now the primary street-facing Anchor tenant on Level 1, the store is a source of pride to both the tenant and the landlord.
“Managing the relocation from a tiny space into an anchor location with prominent visibility was a daunting prospect for such a young brand. We faced a few surprises along the way – especially after the rectification works by the Landlord. But James took it all in his stride and kept the design open right until the very last minute, accommodating and helping to suggest all the tweaks necessary to realize the full potential of the site. We now have an amazing store that almost feels like a home – exactly what we were looking for all along!”.
Zdenka Rejha, Founder, Badger & Fox
