Concepts, a streetwear retailer with outlets in New York, Shanghai, and Dubai, last month opened its global flagship, a 4,700-sf store on Newbury Street in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood that includes shops from some of the more prestigious names in the fashion world, like Cartier and Chanel.
The three-floor building, designed by the collaborative Bergmeyer and built by Shawmut Design & Construction, represents Concepts’ biggest retail expansion to date, and celebrates the company’s roots; Concepts started in 1996 out of a small outlet in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass. The Newbury Street location reimagines the retailer’s brand experience by taking the form of an art gallery. The combination of materials used—zinc, concrete, and stone—creates a modern, comfortable environment.
“This is a historic moment for Concepts, especially as we head into our 25th anniversary. This flagship store is more than just a retail space and with Boston being our home, we’re proud to further infuse our DNA into the city,” says Tarek Hassan, founder and CEO of Concepts.
Concepts shares a neighborhood with several high-profile fashion retailers.
The store was designed in partnership with Sid Lee, a global creative agency that specializes in brand building.
Also see: Take a virtual tour of Concepts’ newest store
The main staircase that connects the three floors takes its cue from the Greek term “theatron,” meaning “a gathering place for spectators.” The store’s design takes shoppers on a journey through Concepts’ different collections. At the heart of the store is a striking zinc cube, designed to cast light from different angles in ways that promote a sense of discovery.
BRINGS VRSNL VENTURE INTO A STORE FOR THE FIRST TIME
A staircase in the middle of the store connects its three floors.
The ground floor of the store displays Concepts’ private labor apparel and accessories, multi-brand footwear and apparel, and headwear customization. The mezzanine features Concepts’ “Constant Change,” an area for rotating special projects and collaborations, augmented by a DJ booth.
The top floor showcases Concepts’ new women-focused luxury boutique that is the first and only in-store expression of its VRSNL venture, which previously had been available online only. The boutique will include a curated offering of Concepts’ private label, streetwear, and sportswear brand. The upper floor also has a café with made-to-order food and beverages.
Deon Point, Concepts’ creative director, told the website Complex that VRSNL is his company’s response to the challenges it faced in the past getting women to shop its stores. “We had to make sure it was an integral part of what we did,” he explains.
Related Stories
3D Printing | Oct 9, 2024
3D-printed construction milestones take shape in Tennessee and Texas
Two notable 3D-printed projects mark milestones in the new construction technique of “printing” structures with specialized concrete. In Athens, Tennessee, Walmart hired Alquist 3D to build a 20-foot-high store expansion, one of the largest freestanding 3D-printed commercial concrete structures in the U.S. In Marfa, Texas, the world’s first 3D-printed hotel is under construction at an existing hotel and campground site.
Mixed-Use | Oct 7, 2024
New mixed-use tower by Studio Gang completes first phase of San Francisco waterfront redevelopment
Construction was recently completed on Verde, a new mixed-use tower along the San Francisco waterfront, marking the end of the first phase of the Mission Rock development. Verde is the fourth and final building of phase one of the 28-acre project that will be constructed in several phases guided by design principles developed by a design cohort led by Studio Gang.
The Changing Built Environment | Sep 23, 2024
Half-century real estate data shows top cities for multifamily housing, self-storage, and more
Research platform StorageCafe has conducted an analysis of U.S. real estate activity from 1980 to 2023, focusing on six major sectors: single-family, multifamily, industrial, office, retail, and self-storage.
Mixed-Use | Sep 19, 2024
A Toronto development will transform a 32-acre shopping center site into a mixed-use urban neighborhood
Toronto developers Mattamy Homes and QuadReal Property Group have launched The Clove, the first phase in the Cloverdale, a $6 billion multi-tower development. The project will transform Cloverdale Mall, a 32-acre shopping center in Toronto, into a mixed-use urban neighborhood.
3D Printing | Sep 17, 2024
Alquist 3D and Walmart complete one of the nation’s largest free-standing, 3D-printed commercial structures
Walmart has completed one of the largest free-standing, 3D-printed commercial structures in the US. Alquist 3D printed the almost 8,000-sf, 20-foot-high addition to a Walmart store in Athens, Tenn. The expansion, which will be used for online pickup and delivery, is the first time Walmart has applied 3D printing technology at this scale.
Retail Centers | Sep 17, 2024
Thinking outside the big box (store)
For over a decade now, the talk of the mall industry has been largely focused on what developers can do to fill the voids left by a steady number of big box store closures. But what do you do when big box tenants stay put?
Mass Timber | Sep 17, 2024
Marina del Rey mixed-use development is L.A.’s largest mass timber project
An office-retail project in Marina del Rey is Los Angeles’ largest mass timber project to date. Encompassing about 3 acres, the 42XX campus consists of three low-rise buildings that seamlessly connect with exterior walkways and stairways. The development provides 151,000 sf of office space and 1,500 sf of retail space.
Mixed-Use | Aug 21, 2024
Adaptive reuse of a Sears store becomes luxury mixed-use housing
6 Corners Lofts at 4714 W Irving Park Road, Chicago, Ill., opened in March of 2024 as a 394,000-sf adaptive reuse project born out of a former Sears store.
Adaptive Reuse | Jul 30, 2024
Empty mall to be converted to UCLA Research Park
UCLA recently acquired a former mall that it will convert into the UCLA Research Park that will house the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy at UCLA and the UCLA Center for Quantum Science and Engineering, as well as programs across other disciplines. The 700,000-sf property, formerly the Westside Pavilion shopping mall, is two miles from the university’s main Westwood campus. Google, which previously leased part of the property, helped enable and support UCLA’s acquisition.
Smart Buildings | Jul 25, 2024
A Swiss startup devises an intelligent photovoltaic façade that tracks and moves with the sun
Zurich Soft Robotics says Solskin can reduce building energy consumption by up to 80% while producing up to 40% more electricity than comparable façade systems.
