The French sneaker brand Veja has cultivated a brand story that’s all about sustainability and transparency. It sources organic cotton from Brazil and Peru, it employs rubber tappers in the Amazon (these seringueiros also help protect the rainforest), it practices fair trade – the brand‘s website elaborates on these and other bona fides to inform consumers about what exactly goes into making their trendy footwear. The new Veja in Williamsburg, New York, reflects this corporate responsibility by keeping things simple, clear and honest.
Office JDY Architecture drew on the company’s “sustainability-focused ethos and minimalist aesthetic” in designing the Veja Williamsburg location, the result of a gut-reno that celebrates the “idiosyncratic existing conditions common to New York City buildings.” Once the firm remediated and restored the bones of the building, including its masonry, wood, concrete and stucco material makeup, it crafted a serene space that lets Veja’s vibrant product shine.
The white half of the interior has a pleasant, unusual texture thanks to the use of a custom white plaster mix, which the firm developed with local craftspeople. Representing the only “new” finish in the store, it creates the effect of a calm, monolithic backdrop and evokes the softness and pliability of papier-mâché. On the restored brick wall opposite, the architects installed an 11.2-metre-long white-metal shelf that resembles an I-beam slicing horizontally across the wall. A subtle detail overhead – threads of light stretched tautly from one wall to the opposite – poetically connects old and new.
To further balance the space, and enrich its palette, the designers judiciously employed solid white oak: Chunky wood benches are positioned as if they’re floating in the middle of the polished concrete floor and oak cladding wraps the repair kiosk at the rear.
As part of its retail program, the shop offers shoe repair – not just for Veja sneakers but for any pair that needs mending. To deliver this service, the firm created a cobbler station with a glimpse into the back-of-house area where the work gets done.
Throughout the store, openings like these – including windows and outlines of former windows – are carefully positioned to enhance the interior design. Small square windows are carved out above the cash desk and the white plaster wall; a massive void seems to have been filled in with concrete on the brick wall; and – most compelling of all – the floor-to-ceiling storefront glazing boldly frames the interior from the outside, and the outdoors from within.
On the exterior, the firm simply repainted the masonry for a gentle refresh that announces the new retail location. On the side of the building, however, they provided the project’s one splash of colour. They transformed the adjacent courtyard, which hosts brand events, with a deep-red pergola and matching oversized shingles that enclose two storage areas. It’s a vibrant coda to an understated expression.
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