American fashion brand Kith has collaborated with Porto Architecture to create the interiors for its flagship store on London‘s Regent Street, complete with a classic New York bistro.
For Kith‘s first standalone store in the UK, founder Ronnie Fieg aimed to create a space that showcased the brand but was unique to London. It also includes the brand’s first restaurant, named Ronnie’s after its founder.
“With every new space, I want to evolve and elevate our design language while maintaining a red thread through all of our flagships,” Fieg told Dezeen.
“The experience you have in our London store will feel distinct from the one in New York, Seoul or Paris, yet each will still feel distinctly Kith. Most importantly, it’s the best of everything we have to offer in one space.”
The Kith store occupies two floors of a large, neo-baroque building on Regent Street that dates from the 1920s. New York firm Porto Architecture and Fieg were informed by the block’s remaining original fixtures for the design of the flagship.
“When I first walked into the unfinished space almost two years ago, I immediately fell in love with its existing elements and how the interior resonated with the history and architecture of the street it was on,” he explained.
“So the core concept of the design was rooted in working backwards from the beautiful trims and bones of the raw space, and figuring out how to incorporate our palette and materiality into the history of the building.”
Each of the store’s main spaces was defined by its own material and colour palette, with Kith’s crest integrated throughout the interiors along with satin brass trimmings.
“Existing elements like the ceiling gave us the opportunity to design into the foundation in a way that makes it feel like we’ve always been there,” said Fieg.
“Incorporating our K&K crest into the ceiling and adding brass inlays along the moulding are examples of how we were able to weave our DNA into the space in a cohesive and seamless way.”
The store’s main entrance is flanked by a pair of original, curved glass windows that overlook the Kith Kids and Kith Treats spaces on either side.
Both spaces are united by a custom fan mosaic, with the children’s areas arranged around an Estremoz marble seat and lit with cloud-like lamps. Kith Treats has a muted pastel palette with a Volakas marble-topped bar.
The ground floor contains the bright Kith Women area and dark spaces for seasonal collections and jewellery.
The Kith Women space combines an oak herringbone floor, Estremoz marble-lined walls, white oak millwork and Crystal Tiffany marble. In contrast, the other space combines dark herringbone floors, Belvedere marble walls and walnut millwork.
“Our men’s section blends dark and light with black and white marble, which then transitions into the women’s section – a much brighter area that pairs white oak with shades of pink, blue, and white marble,” explained Fieg.
Accessed from the street and from the store, Ronnie’s is the brand’s first restaurant. Designed to have an “elevated bistro atmosphere”, it is lined with booths and features red marble and fabric paired with dark wood.
“As a born-and-bred New Yorker, the city is woven into the fabric of the brand and shapes my perspective on everything,” explained Fieg.
“You can feel that through the product, but I wanted to connect with London on a deeper level and let people experience that influence through food and culture.”
“Ronnie’s is the culmination of this idea,” he continued. “The menu is inspired by all of my favourite hometown and childhood dishes, reimagined through a fine dining lens.”
“The space reflects that by elevating a classic New York bistro into what I believe is one of the most beautiful restaurant spaces to open in London in recent years.”
“I can’t wait to see Londoners enjoying a New York-style pastrami sandwich,” he concluded.
Other stores on Regent Street featured on Dezeen include a gallery-like store for luxury luggage brand Carl Friedrik, Swiss brand On’s first UK store and an Apple Store by Foster + Partners.
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