Chicago Store Opening
On May 21st, 2024, Balenciaga opened its first standalone store in Chicago, Illinois.
The two-level, 641-square meter store offers the latest in Balenciaga men’s and
women’s ready-to-wear, shoes, bags, accessories, eyewear, and jewelry.
Its design extends and iterates on the brand’s experiential Raw Architecture concept, conceived to question the nature of authenticity, by leaving surfaces intentionally untreated and by adding evocative details such as rough edges, freestanding partitions, and a distinctive amalgamation of materials. The construction respects existing structural elements, exposing their accumulated histories and inherently resulting in the use of fewer virgin materials.
Vast brushed concrete floors resemble sidewalk tiles, while walls are made of concrete or cement board panels, creating the illusion of a liminal indoor/outdoor space. A large-scale luminous ceiling hovers over areas of congregation: the shoe section, the staircase and the fitting rooms. Elsewhere, this radiance is punctuated with suspended ceiling mesh, industrial lighting systems, and other technical fixtures. Hot rolled metal tables, angel hair-finish metal shelving, and hanging pipe racks evoke the atmosphere of a warehouse or studio. Seating throughout is upholstered in recycled leather. Panes of smoked glass, an inlaid carpet, and high-definition screens punctuate the interior with warmth and modernity.
Its design extends and iterates on the brand’s experiential Raw Architecture concept, conceived to question the nature of authenticity, by leaving surfaces intentionally untreated and by adding evocative details such as rough edges, freestanding partitions, and a distinctive amalgamation of materials. The construction respects existing structural elements, exposing their accumulated histories and inherently resulting in the use of fewer virgin materials.
Vast brushed concrete floors resemble sidewalk tiles, while walls are made of concrete or cement board panels, creating the illusion of a liminal indoor/outdoor space. A large-scale luminous ceiling hovers over areas of congregation: the shoe section, the staircase and the fitting rooms. Elsewhere, this radiance is punctuated with suspended ceiling mesh, industrial lighting systems, and other technical fixtures. Hot rolled metal tables, angel hair-finish metal shelving, and hanging pipe racks evoke the atmosphere of a warehouse or studio. Seating throughout is upholstered in recycled leather. Panes of smoked glass, an inlaid carpet, and high-definition screens punctuate the interior with warmth and modernity.
