The first Holzweiler flagship store on Prinsens Gate in Oslo embeds the concept behind the design of the showroom, yet is adapted to be a more clear-cut retail space. Upon entering the store, guests are welcomed by an unconventional, curved passage made of paper that lends a serene ambience to the store. The passage resets the visitor’s mind and allows them to enter the space at the heart of the store. Visitors are then greeted by a room covered with 3,000 handmade, ragged, mustard-colored tiles that create a warm and vibrant backdrop for the displayed garments. Central to the brand’s identity is the grid structure that can be seen in the stripe and square pattern typically found in the brand’s scarves and other central garments. The notion of the grid has been picked up and developed in various ways throughout the design of the three new brand surfaces. In the showroom, the curtain grid references the pattern from the scarves. In the flagship store, a flexible shelf system throughout the store is based on the same grid. The store’s custom-made furniture picks up on the materiality from the showroom with its organic shapes and use of warm oak, adding a contrast to the finely polished concrete floor. The point of sale is a brushed, stainless steel cabinet placed alongside the wall. The look and placement change the dynamic of how customers interact with the staff, and allows for a more natural interaction, placing the personnel next to the customer instead of hidden behind a counter.

Creating Compelling Spaces

The collaboration between Snøhetta and Holzweiler is pushing the boundaries for and blurring the lines between retail in the digital and the analogue sphere.
- Running a store isn’t merely about sales alone anymore. With the new showroom, flagship store and website we wanted to create spaces that tell a story and that strengthen the relationship between Holz- weiler and our customers. We still believe in physical retail, but we think that it needs to be paired with compelling digital retail experiences that can create synergies with the physical stores and enhance the brand universe, says Brand Director Susanne Holzweiler.

The interwoven Holzweiler universe can be explored through the showroom at Lysaker, the flagship store in Prinsens Gate in Oslo and on holzweiler.com.