ksubi
The client’s brief to resurrect the no-Fs-given attitude of the ksubi brand was influential in the application of form, function and palette. Materiality referenced the Brutalist architecture movement and its imposing presence – if only in character, not scale – featuring honed, cracked concrete juxtaposed with unfinished particleboard.
Inspiration was drawn from trailblazing 1980s art director, designer and stylist, Judy Blame, who’s subversive punk oeuvre reflects the ksubi ethos of creating meaningful (not just beautiful) work. Left-of-centre details are a nod to the chaotic ksubi aesthetic of art-meets-fashion.
The iconic rat motif is found in the custom pendant light featured above the POS and in the polished stainless steel handles adorning the dressing room doors. White acrylic LED light tubes serve as hanging rails and MDF taxidermy animal heads display ksubi’s optical offerings, adding to the cultivated impression of random mayhem.
existing space
Situated amongst the best of Australian and International fashion, fronting the retail artery that is Paddington’s Oxford Street, is this reimagining of the ksubi brand ethos. Housed in an historic Paddington terraced shop, this 96m2 space featured a 6m frontage and a ceiling height of 5m.
CLIENT BRIEF
ksubi's brand aesthetic transcends fashion. Its level of creativity and involvement in art, culture and music have developed the brand into a tangible subculture. Uninfluenced by consumer trends, ksubi chooses to use fashion as a form of art, to provoke conversation and generate a cultural platform. After weathering some ups and downs over the past decade, the brand is ready for a rebirth. The client brief was singular – resurrect the cult of ksubi.
“I always tried to make them think about what they were looking at. I would take an idea like pollution and put it into a fashion context… you have to be attracted by it first, and then you can make people think about it as well.”