Treasure hunt shopping experience forms part of future retail

A fashion shop in Oslo has been designed to draw in shoppers by creating a playful, experiential focus

Spotted: In the post-COVID world, experience is going to be more important than ever for enticing shoppers back into shops in person. In fact, design firm Snøhetta is counting on this. The firm has designed a new concept store for Norwegian fashion brand Moniker that incorporates eclectic references, a playful feel and a treasure hunt atmosphere.

The store, dubbed Moniker Fashion Universe, is located over three floors in a building in the heart of Oslo’s shopping district. Each area of the store features bold designs which evoke a different “visual universe”. For example, a section of the menswear department is divided into two “zones” built around the concepts of “sensitive” and “ambitious”. The sensitive zone features striped fabrics, foliage and a lilac and yellow colour palette meant to evoke the French Riviera and figures such as movie star, Alain Delon. The other menswear zone uses wood and stainless steel to pay homage to Paul Newman and the world of race cars.

In the Moniker Sport section, which features activewear for both men and women, the designers took their inspiration from NASA and spacesuits. This section uses a monotone colour scheme, with six different shades of white, a wall of patterned glass and a set of pigmented concrete benches. The result is a store that encourages its customers to be playful and experimental with style and fashion.

Snøhetta interior designer Carl Andreas Aspelund recently said: “One of the most important inputs we got from our client is that the experience of the store should be like a treasure hunt, where the customers discover new worlds of fashion around every corner. This input combined with the concept of the chameleon has strongly influenced the layout of the store. Chameleons can change colours and expression but their body is always the same and recognisable, this is also true for the brand experience of Moniker.”

Under threat from online shopping and COVID-19, in-person retail has been upping its game in order to create destination experiences for shoppers. From automated checkouts to unusual and evocative decorations and build-you-own bags, innovative retail brands and designers are working to create unique, experiential shopping.

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