Sybarite and Gentle Monster recreate luxury retail by encasing it within a futuristic utopian state.

SKP-S in Beijing has opened its doors on December 2019, and it promises to change the way luxury retail is perceived. It has conceived as a reaction to the sense-less online shopping experience, where one simply buys at the click of a button. Gentle Monster wanted to engage all our human senses (by hearing, smelling, seeing and touching) once they enter this department store.

All luxury brands embraced this unusual concept and created innovative and distinct interiors to display their merchandise. The result is an immersive experience full of art installations combined with interactive displays that ensure the customer is engaged with the SKP experience, even when they are circulating between shops.

The lighting was very unusual as it departed from the traditional forms of shopping mall illumination. Dark and moody corridors were opted instead of flat and evenly lit ones. In addition, there was a desire for all the brands to limit the shopfront lighting levels, in order to increase the contrast outside these and maximise the ‘gallery’ experience throughout.

Light IQ worked closely with their partner office in Shanghai (Studio Illumine) who played the key role of monitoring the implementation of the design and the mock-up approvals, as well as translation and local support during the final styling and commissioning of the lighting.