Naked Retail rethinks the department store for the direct to consumer generation, a physical home where digital first brands can be discovered, sampled and bought. A Day Well Spent was the store's first fully themed season, a sustainability edit that turned a SoHo space into somewhere people came to spend an afternoon.
“A store is more compelling when it is built around a feeling, not a floorplan.”
A space full of unrelated emerging brands can read as a trade show. Naked needed the season to feel like a single, coherent world, immersive enough to draw a crowd, flexible enough to rotate brands in and out, and measurable enough to prove its worth to the brands taking part.
We built the whole store around one editorial idea, sustainability seen through the lens of a single day, then organised the brands and activations inside it. Fixtures were made to flex so brands could move in and out without breaking the concept, and every zone earned its place by adding an experience, not just more shelving.
The design language was drawn from the two things sustainability depends on, land and sea. Subtle shades of blue and green split the space across its two sides, and organic shapes were placed throughout, on the walls, across the floor and hanging from the ceiling.
Where the shapes overlapped, they referenced the interwoven relationship between land and sea, people and planet. It gave a rotating cast of very different brands a single, calm backdrop that held the whole store together.
“The store was presented through the lens of a single day.”
Brands were positioned within the store based on the time of day they are most commonly used, from morning coffee and supplements to evening skincare and a nightcap. It gave shoppers immediate insight into how each product could slot into their own daily routine, and turned a curated edit of eco brands into a story anyone could follow.
Guests discovered a thoughtfully curated selection of sustainably focused brands across food and drink, home, fashion and beauty, chosen for ethical supply chains, recycled and biodegradable packaging, upcycled materials, organic ingredients and philanthropic initiatives.
The goal was simple, to introduce, educate and inspire, giving emerging brands a stage and shoppers a reason to look closer.
“Engagement, community and acquisition sit at the heart of every Naked experience.”
Sampling, trials, events and classes were offered free, in exchange for an email, turning footfall into a first party audience that brands could keep. Every activation was designed to increase dwell time, and every build out generated a stream of content, from finished store to live events, that participating brands could take away and use.
The concept was built to scale. Brands could take part at any level, from a table top display to a full category takeover, and the fixture system flexed to fit, so the store could rebuild itself around a new season without starting from scratch.
Custom table top display, approx 2 x 4 ft.
Full scale design and build out, approx 100 ft.
Full scale design and build out, approx 250 ft.
Full scale build out, approx 500 ft, with category exclusivity.
Section or full store takeover across all six zones.
A store people travelled to spend an afternoon in, and a model brands could measure.
A Golden State
A Day Well Spent proved the model, so the following summer we reset the whole store around a new feeling, the golden hour. The space was split into five states of mind, each merchandised by the brands that fit it and anchored by an experiential activation to draw people in and keep them there.
Food, fitness, athleisure and beauty to leave you feeling revitalised.
Meditation, swimwear, clothing and CBD for a moment of retreat.
Activewear, sunglasses, travel and sporting kit for the curious.
Homeware, food, drink and gifting to host the perfect summer soiree.
Travel, beauty, wellness and swimwear for a world of new.
