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Vans: Covent Garden Boutique

The Challenge
Launched the Vans Covent Garden Boutique, the only store of its kind in Europe, and delivering ongoing cultural programming in the basement activation space.
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Launched the Vans Covent Garden Boutique, the only store of its kind in Europe, and delivering ongoing cultural programming in the basement activation space.

Vans Covent Garden hero

Task

Underline

P13 was tasked to launch and programme Europe’s first boutique store for Vans EU in London's legendary Covent Garden, aimed at an art and design focused consumer.

Approach

Underline

London is one of the most creative cities in the world, but lack of space in central London is a challenge. The unique remit involved establishing an IRL platform designed to support London’s creative communities.

Output

Underline

Downstairs, we curated residency partners aligned with Vans' brand values of creative expression and authenticity, providing a useful and credible platform for both emerging and established creative communities.

Upstairs, we commissioned a Covent Garden inspired pub sign, a floral tribute to Covent Garden’s heritage and curated the lifestyle product for the store.

THE STORE LAUNCH

CULTURAL PROGRAMMING

For our first three month launch residency, we brought back the critically acclaimed London gallery and design-led store, KK OUTLET, which closed its East London doors in 2018. The return of KK Outlet saw the downstairs space recreated into their iconic tiled shop, a monthly exhibition and weekly workshops with their extensive and credible network and their well known mealticket format.

After this, Platform13 programmed a variety of takeovers, opening up the activation space as a platform for those who did not have a physical space of their own: an Anti Valentine's pop-up and themed workshops from Mean Mail, the first solo exhibition and tote bag customisation session from Liisa Chisholm, the first ever London pop-up showroom and launch party from Hatton Labs, and an exhibition and pop-up shop from Teejerker.

Vans Covent Garden KK outlet sign
Vans Covent Garden KK OUTLET event
Vans Covent Garden kk outlet over the wall space 2
Vans Covent Garden Hatton Labs zine
Vans Covent Garden Hatton Labs party polaroid
Vans Covent Garden kk outlet flop art
Vans Covent Garden KK OUTLET shop
Vans Covent Garden London embroidery space
Vans Covent Garden mean mail balloons
Vans Covent Garden Liisa
Vans Covent Garden Hatton Labs insta dj
Vans Covent Garden KK outlet flop art 2
Vans Covent Garden kk outlet over the wall space
Vans Covent Garden KK outlet customisation workshop
Vans Covent Garden residencies vinyl
LONDON EMBROIDERY STUDIO
Vans Covent Garden mean mail cards
Vans Covent Garden liisa insta
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RETAIL DESIGN

We commissioned London creatives on a variety of retail assets to represent a contemporary Covent Garden. This included:

A bespoke pub style logo for the store and large mirrored artwork from traditional sign painter Alex May Hughes, a rotating exhibition from emerging artists - first up, the collective Roar Artists, a floral window installation from Palais, a reference to Covent Garden's famous flower market and traditional floral window boxes and a permanent art piece of over 20 skate decks by London artist Barry Reigate.

We sourced the every changing lifestyle product for the store, carefully selecting brands and artists, such as candle brand Earl of East, book publishers Hoxton Mini Press, ceramics artist Liisa Chisholm and CBD skincare brand DISCIPLE.

Vans Covent Garden upstairs Alex may Hughes sign
Vans Covent Garden upstairs roar artists exhibition
Vans Covent Garden upstairs Barry Skate Decks
Vans Covent Garden upstairs Hoxton press
Vans Covent Garden upstairs shelves earl of east
Vans Covent Garden Upstairs palais

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