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Inter Views of Fashion: Jeffery Hutchinson
With brick-and-mortar stores for Narciso Rodriguez, Donna Karan and Ralph Lauren under his belt, Jeffrey Hutchison has established himself as a go-to architect for luxury retailers. Hutchison learned the ropes working with Peter Marino, who architected the Chanel and Louis Vuitton stores, and in 1999 he struck out on his own, establishing the firm Jeffrey Hutchison & Associates in New York. While at Marino, Hutchison worked on the Barneys flagship store, and today he continues to cultivate the storied retail institution’s architectural image.
Describe your aesthetic.
“While I have worked in many styles and genres—from classical to minimal—I feel it is more important to allow the aesthetic of the project to reflect the image of the brand than imposing a particular aesthetic. That said, my work does have a number of consistent attributes, such as the creative use of light and implementing rich and luxurious materials. And all the work I do strives to create an emotional connection between the consumer and the location.”
What are the current trends in retail architecture?
“While there is still a big push for retail brands to maintain the same image from location to location, I believe this is in the process of changing. The consumer is starting to get “consistency fatigue” in both what the stores look like as well as the merchandise being pretty much the same. To address that, I always try to respond to each project individually and give it a unique design without losing the overall language of the brand.”
What architectural elements do consumers respond to?
“Probably the biggest response comes from good lighting and its creative use. In retail design a lot of people talk about the importance of lighting but so many brands just don’t follow through. Consumers not only need good lighting to see the product (try distinguishing a black pair of pants from a blue pair in a poorly lit area), but they also want to feel comfortable in the space.
Lighting has so much do with the emotional characteristics of the design, and I always make it one of the highest priorities when we design a store. I want both effective lighting but also creative designs that people can respond to. Wherever possible I also include the use of natural light through windows and skylights because the quality of natural light has a big impact on how people emotionally connect to the space.”
If you had a dream project, what would it be?
“I would love to design the entire customer experience for Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, which is for air travel into space—the ship interiors, the lounges and everything related to your physical experience. It would be like designing the first Pan Am airplane and lounge back in the 1930s. It would be fascinating to develop a design that involves new technologies but speaks to the bygone eras of the luxuriousness of air travel.”
Who are the architects you admire?
“Definitely Peter Marino, for whom I used to work. Also, David Chipperfield and Thierry Despont.”
What are your upcoming projects?
“Currently, I am working on a new flagship for Barneys in Chicago, which will open in 2009. I have also designed a new store concept for Dooney & Bourke, the first of which just opened in Macau. We are doing many new locations for them, implementing this new concept and working on its evolution.”
Content source: JC Report.
