For a moment, the trendy shoppers of London’s Oxford Street may think they’ve landed in Omotesando or Roppongi Hills. A new five-story building for the upscale fashion chain Reiss stands at the terminus of a branch of this high street, and its design, by Squire & Partners, evokes the elegant yet jaw-dropping architecture that has transformed far-away neighborhoods into destinations of commerce and culture.
Not surprisingly, the clothing chain’s namesake, David Reiss, travels extensively. In 2005, fresh from another transcontinental trip, Reiss asked four British firms to propose designs for a new global headquarters and flagship store, which would replace a small complex that had once housed the London School of Fashion. “He liked the idea of having his own building that reflected his brand, as in Hong Kong or Japan, but he didn’t want it to be too shouty,” says Alessandro Mangiavacchi, the Reiss project architect for Squire & Partners. “It was a very open brief—just a delicate, elegant building to reflect the Reiss brand.”
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