Behind a clean, modern Michigan Avenue storefront, Guess fills its 12,600-square-foot space with men’s and women’s lines, including accessories and body products. The San Francisco and Santa Monica, Calif., offices of Gensler worked with an in-house team to design a store that would reflect the 20-year-old company’s relaxed take on contemporary living.
Inside, existing columns were dressed with glossy red jackets to reinforce the brand, adding jaunts of color to the otherwise neutral palette.
According to the retailer, an innovative and inviting shopping environment is achieved with a blend of materials: stone, steel and wood. Added to the formula is bleached wood with touches of etched and colored glass, as well as stainless-steel hardware. Visuals are an integral part of the mix, including stainless-steel framed photographic-quality images and freestanding graphics.
Flexible fixturing provides for a variety of hanging, folded and table presentations on the floor. And wall systems have interchangeable bars and shelves for folded or hanging presentations.
Client Team: Guess, Los Angeles – Dave Corbin, creative director; Brad Schaefer, retail design manager; Fred Castillo and Matt Morgan, store planning managers; Harry Apter, art director; Robert Higgins, vp of retail development; Brent Sual, director of construction; Michael Kelch, project manager, construction team
Design Firm and Architect: Gensler, Santa Monica, Calif. – Jack Estoya, John Weidner, Anna Cerlad, Rick McBride, Jeff Henry, Luigi Franceschina, Andy Cohen and Carolina Tombolesi, design team
Outside Consultants: Fisher Development Inc., Des Plaines, Ill. (general contractor); McGuire Engineers and Thornton/Tomasetti Engineers, Chicago (engineering consultants)
Suppliers: AEI, Seattle (audio/visual); Knoll Textiles, Greenville, Pa. (fabrics); Sajo, Montreal (fixturing); John Caretti & Co. Inc., Chicago (poured terrazzo flooring); Andre’s Imaging and Graphics, Chicago, and Production Photographic, Los Angeles (graphics); Midwest Wholesale Lighting, Los Angeles (lighting); Lifestyle Form & Display Co. Inc., New York (mannequins and forms); Superior Electric Advertising, Long Beach, Calif. (signage); Angela Adams, Portland, Maine (area rugs)
Photography: Micah Smith, Lucky g Photography, Los Angeles