Elissa Stampa Fashion Factory
Elissa Stampa is a new-age fashion factorylocated in the vibrant district of Bomonti, close to the center of Istanbul.The facility entirely dedicated to fashion lays in a four-floor independentbuilding with a direct access to the ground level. The Elissa Stampa FashionFactory is the third project designed for the client making the brandcohesiveness and identity building more powerful. The project can be dissectedinto four main zones: the reception and essential service facilities, theshowroom zone, the design office zone and the factory zone. Each with adifferent main function, the zones are linked to each other through noteworthy physicaland spatial elements.
With such a diverse program, the layout isorganized according to function and accessibility. The front façade is assignedto the showroom spaces that can tolerate more visibility to the public and areused as vitrines to the brand’s creations. The space in the back is allocatedto the more administrative functions such as the open-office or the director’soffice. These two main zones are connected by a mock-up runway corridorsymbolizing the attention-consuming fashion business. Being a core space, thearched orange runway styled with the distinct lighting installation of abird-like shape lighting units emanates a superior fashion experience. The upper floor is, too, another workspace distinguishedby its rather contemporary features and relaxed elements. Joined by aclean-cut, minimal staircase, the two floors can be considered bold statementsof the brand’s fashion vision. Elissa Stampa considers fabric design as apillar in fashion and the venue had to deliver this specific message.
The reception area by the entrance isornamented by an eye-catchy, pendant lighting installation as a contrast to thedominating gray concrete look in honor to the façade of the building. Thisapproach grants the final design more cohesiveness and can be seen as ananalogy regarding these two central elements. First, the cold monochromeconcrete base in its different states diversified by the textures stands for abare canvas ready to lodge bold elements. On top of it, come the pop objectssuch as the striking red chairs, the different floor patterns and the multiplelighting fixtures placed throughout the venue that stand out. Another elementhas empowered the architectural language of the project is the existing set ofarches that have been sustained to create another soft clash between the pastand the present in harmony.
The balance in exhibition spaces is usuallychallenging to sustain as both the base space and object are to stand out indifferent ways. Typically, in museums, the white cube approach is preferred asthe art pieces are intended to get all the attention. However, in morecommercial settings, a symbiosis of “the art” and “home to the art” is ideallyobtained by exploring other directions instead of the radical contrast.Displays, hangers or even shelves can be key elements in exhibiting goods for acommercial purpose. In Elissa Stampa, the clothes and fabrics are exhibitedusing curvilinear yet minimal custom-made hangers that bring out the pieces.The showroom areas too, have a color theme; nude, gray or white, granting anexperience within the Elissa Stampa experience.
Creating working spaces within an exhibitionspace is one another situation handled with care by the designers. The brand’sspirit is portrayed in these focus-requiring spaces through adopting a popapproach in terms of color splashes on the concrete gray canvas mentionedearlier, and through large typo graphics that adorn the walls and glasspartitions. Usage of loud colors such as ruby red on both floor and ceilingcoatings in contrast to shades of pale green that work marvelously with indoorvegetations has been carefully selected for these lively zones. Enriching thework environment with new-age features adds a distinguished take on theworkplace area. Take for instance the secluded green cabins where more privateconversations are to take place like phone calls or Zoom meetings. Thetransparency obtained through the usage of limpid glass partitioned enhanced bycreative films also projects the brand’s work policy and encourages interactionbetween its different departments.
The Elissa Stampa Fashion Factory offers itsusers an authentic fashion experience that walks hand in hand with theirartistic vision. As designers, merging the client’s spirit in an architecturalproposal takes a lot into consideration. The process of design often startswith the space or the brand and generally ends somewhere between the client’sexpectations and the designer’s expertise. The stroke of magic here is to bringto the table an even more elaborate project that joins various functions andtypologies under one roof in what we love to call a harmonious contrast.Building a strong identity goes through a strong venue design where clients andusers alike feel the impact of the brand on a daily basis. Ultimately, it issafe to say that this is the starting point of a legacy.
