Fott
Address: Dmitrovsky pereulok, 7, Moscow, RussiaPrincipal architects: Anna Rodionova, Olga Khokhlova
Architects: Viktoriya Kudryavtseva, Tatyana Polyakova
Heads of Wowhaus: Dmitry Likin, Oleg Shapiro
Photographs: FOTT
In autumn 2012 the men’s fashion store FOTT moved to new premises, having already previously changed two locations. From being merely an Internet store it had grown into something bigger – a kind of headquarters of the FOTT community. It already had its own image and culture of consumption, representing an urban style which is individual, free, and in places brutal. We came up with a way to convey this character in the new premises on Dmitrovsky pereulok while at the same time preserving the atmosphere of the old shop.
to design the new premises of the multibrand fashion store FOTT, bringing together a showroom, photo studio, office, retail space, and warehouse under one roof.
We designed a multifunctional space on three levels linked by a light staircase. The layout is such that the distance between staff and clients is minimal, making this something like a community. Following the concept of a multibrand store, the retail areas were divided up into several transformable zones. We paid special attention to detail. Most of the furniture and décor were specially made for FOTT.
The challenge was to accommodate a large number of different brands without the shop feeling ‘cluttered’. In order to give customers an unobstructed view of the whole store and a comprehensible trajectory of movement, we highlighted the different zones by using different finishes, retail equipment, and lighting, and by raising or dropping the floor level.
In the retail area we created a number of zones which are anchored to fixed positions. These include the fitting rooms and an island cash desk. Everything else is mobile and can be used for new brands or events.
For the finishes we used natural and long-lasting materials which are associated with the style of today’s big cities: concrete, metal, reinforced glass, and dark wood. We cleaned the existing concrete floor and walls and covered them with a protective layer; we kept the utilities systems as they were.
Most of the display and retail equipment was especially constructed for this interior and was made at our factory, including the large lamp made from reinforced glass which hangs above the cash desk area. The vintage lamps and other specialized equipment came from Germany, while several pieces of furniture were bought at a flea market in order to build up FOTT’s image as part of an established tradition.
The delicate metal staircase is an important focus for the shop, allowing us to put the entire space to rational use by connecting the retail halls on the basement level and ground floor with the showroom on the 2nd floor and the warehouse in the basement. The showroom is located in an open office, so FOTT’s staff and buyers of clothing are separated from one another only perfunctorily.
