CURATED ON BOYLSTON
By Bobby Riley | October 8th, 2009
Back in June, Soldier Design announced the newest architectural design project with The Tannery, as they prepare to open their newest location on 711 Boylston Street in Boston. It occupies the previous Restoration Hardware building several doors down from the new Apple flagship store and adjacent to the opulent Mandarin Oriental.
The stores grand opening is scheduled for this November. It’s going to be impressive! Construction is about 90% done as of today. I was in the store last night as I often am for quality checks to be blown away once again by the sheer scale and size of the environment. The bold honest shapes, geometries and materials we used in the design of the space have a grand sense of permanence and invitation. A very fitting experience for where The Tannery has been and heads as it begins to allign and engage with it’s new audience in the historic Back Bay of Boston.
Soldier has worked with the The Tannery, a Boston based fashion, apparel and footwear retailer since 2004 cultivating the amalgamation of residential comfort, retail order and a heightened experience at retail. Basically, a collision of retail and residential design. Soldier was responsible for the identity and store design of the recent Harvard Square store that opened in January 2007 and has been riding the success into the new flagship Boylston Street store. The design scales 11,ooo sq/ft and covers three floors of premium retail with the highly anticipated “Curated at the Tannery” concept developed by Soldier Design team.
Curated at The Tannery will be located on the second level of the store. It’s story will be dedicated to a raw youthful energy, bespoke brands (fashion & technical), cult accessory mix, and sneaker saloon without losing the considered sophistication you can expect from The Tannery. With 35+ years of retailing experience Tarek Hassan and his team of buyers are not mere buyers, but Curators of ’a story’ as they parce through the sea of brands, organize, recollect and present. Below is a glimpse into the project intent with some visuals to wet your palette, until the doors open.
THE CURATED STORY
So it is with age;
Growth and refinement bear wisdom, and wisdom brings with it a voice. Our voice tells the story of a triumphant coming-of-age. After years of building a foundation and casting a collective knowledge, we eagerly stand at the junction of new found responsibilities; to Educate and Inspire our audience. It’s a place where each thought provokes another and each piece is a disciple of the greater whole. Through the works of visionary designers, we present spirited and diverse collections that speak to a love affair with all things fine and beautiful. We are Curated– by The Tannery
On a more practical note, each brand collection will be driven by a concise moral, which is then supported by a brief, compelling story. The stories will be fable styled, lesson of sorts, from which the moral will be derived. The moral will inform the merchandising, season collateral, mannequins and the collections themselves. (the story-line will be informed through a collaborative process between Soldier, buyers & designers)
It’s the story that draws us all in.
