DDi - April/May 2013 - (Page 24)

24 | Design Snapshot S Chorus line of color Breuninger unveils a wall-mounted sculpture of 145 fashionably shod ﬁberglass legs Photos: John Breed By Vilma Barr | April/May 2013 hoppers ascending the escalator up to the new 21,530-sq.-ft shoe department in Breuninger’s Stuttgart, Germany, ﬂagship know they are heading in the right direction just by looking up. At the mid-point of their ride to the second ﬂoor, the view is dominated by a highstepping interpretation of stylish footwear, caught in permanent mid-kick. Breuninger, Germany’s 10-unit premier department store chain, is the latest entry in the competitive bigger-is-better footwear department trend. Boasting a 40,000-pair, fashion-forward inventory representing 250 brands, Breuninger has hyped its shoe shopper’s level of expectation by creating a 29-ft.-long interpretation of nonverbal signage, crafted of more than four dozen custom-colored mannequin legs with attached shoes painted in coordinating hues. Multimedia artist John Breed, who is based in Egmond, Netherlands, was commissioned by Breuninger to design and fabricate a dimensional symbol for the enlarged shoe department. “Breuninger management’s objective was to make it an icon for bringing its southern Germany market a world-class footwear showcase,” Breed says. He partnered with the store’s visual merchandisers to devise the concept of mounting a panorama of rainbow-hued mannequin legs—some are thighto-toe, others are mid-calf or above the ankle. The sculptural bas relief measures 10 ft. tall at its highest central point, tapered at both ends. Breed and the store’s visual team selected a broad palette of footwear styles—spiked-heel pumps, lace-up cold-weather boots, strappy wedge sandals and skimmer ﬂats. At his studio, Breed angled each of the 145 legs for maximum perspective. “I spent three days mixing each color by hand, and several more days applying them,” he describes. He used a basic household matte paint brand to achieve the ﬁnal rainbow effect. Amid a new department ﬁlled with tens of thousands of shoe varieties, the kaleidoscopic sculpture sets a fun—and ﬁtting—tone. www.ddionline.com http://www.ddionline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - April/May 2013

DDi - April/May 2013
Table of Contents
From the Editor
From the Show Director
Newsworthy
Shopper Insights
Visual Perspectives
Editor’s Choice
Design Snapshot
Design Snapshot
Markopoulos Award
Tazo Tea
Tiffany & Co.
Experience Makers
Piperlime
Mattel Experience
CookHouse
Aéropostale
Paris Kids Department
Technology & Customer Engagement Section
Technology Trends
Big Data Column
In-Store Technology
Product Spotlight
Design Leaders 2013
Right Light
GlobalShop Coverage
Special Events
Conference Schedule
Chicago Retail
Exhibitor Products
Calendar
Advertisers
Classifieds
Shopping with Paco

DDi - April/May 2013