Category: people
Sustainable Luxury? - Mulberry
Shopping has become a major pasttime for many of us. Between 1990 and 2007 private consumption within the EU has risen by 37%. The central position of retailers in the product chain provides an opportunity for them to play a key role on the path towards sustainable consumption. With its new flagship store in London, Mulberry - the luxury leather goods brand - is seizing this opportunity.
Mulberry started in Somerset in 1971 and the brand very much builds on its British heritage and its excellent reputation for craftsmanship. The brief for the designers was for the new flagship store to be beautiful, authentic, responsible, flexible and innovative. The shop has to be designed to last and to develop a patina over time.
The finished store is around 500 m2 in size and reflects many features of a modern art gallery. All the furniture and the displays can easily be moved around, which allows for flexibility and low maintenance costs. The materials, such as oak, are locally sourced. The light fittings are energy efficient- they adapt to and simulate daylight and the surfaces are designed to reflect light.
The construction process, the shop concept and the day to day maintenance were designed to be as energy and resource efficient as possible, without compromising a luxury shopping experience.
A key feature of the store is a dry stone wall which runs the length of the shop. The wall was created using the traditional British craft of dry stone walling. It serves as heat storage in the winter and cold storage in the summer. This is achieved through a heat exchange and recovery system which is integrated behind the wall. The store is expected to achieve a 'Excellent' BREEAM rating .
The new Mulberry Store on Bond Street combines a luxury shopping experience, excellent design, energy efficiency and sustainability. It is the first Mulberry store of its kind with several more international stores currently under construction.
Mulberry sales have jumped by 79% in comparison to last year. Design in combination with sustainability lead to excellent business performance!
For more details on the design and production of the store please see www.fiftynewbondstreet.com
The designers on the project were www.universaldesignstudio.com and the engineers www.maxfordham.com.
©2011 SUSTINENDI