Project
Urban fashion brand Fake Gods is introducing itself on the physical retail scene with a Madrid flagship envisioned as a commercial Garden of Eden.
After building its business online and amassing an Instagram following of 220,000, Fake Gods is making the move to bricks-and-mortar. El Departamento has designed the streetwear label’s first flagship, on Madrid’s central Fuencarral street. The interior concept spins off of the story of Adam and Eve in paradise, with the Biblical narrative a nod to Fake Gods’ name. However, there is nothing ancient about the space: the shop is entirely modern in design. The Garden of Eden reference comes subtly through with a storefront mannequin suspended over a composition of stones and plants – ‘symbolizing the temptation to enter this unique contemporary paradise,’ say the designers – and vitrine-encapsulated mannequins surrounded by greenery and orange neoclassical columns inside.
El Departamento installed an illuminated-panel ceiling, to give the impression of a ‘celestial sky’, pairing this feature with gradient blue walls and continuous pale flooring. Bespoke stainless steel and acrylic furnishings reflect light in the space – an effect augmented by numerous strategically placed mirrors. A central steel table invites customers to discover Fake Gods’ popular pieces. Fatigued shoppers can get some R&R in the shop’s rest area, which is anchored by stadium-inspired velvet sofas and a gallery of archival photographs of iconic football players, ‘paying homage to these figures as contemporary gods, and reinforcing the link between popular culture, sports and modern mythology.’
Fake Gods’ first flagship bolsters the young studio’s track record in helping digital-native companies shift to physical retailing, illustrating its creativity in realizing interior narratives in line with brand stories. The design supports the idea that digital-native companies transitioning to bricks-and-mortar should use their spaces efficiently as meeting places for their growing communities. Colour and material combinations seen in the store work in tandem with Fake Gods’ Gen Z-friendly graphics to sell the brand’s products – and ultimately its creative vision – on the busy shopping avenue.