AKRIS is an international fashion house founded in St. Gallen, Switzerland in 1922 – its name an acronym of Alice Kriemler–Schoch, the company’s founder. Ownership has subsequently passed down the family and the company is now run by the founder’s grandchildren, Albert and Peter Kriemler. 

The new store concept was developed in close collaboration with the Kriemler brothers, and the Washington DC flagship is the prototype. The concept draws on the materiality and craftsmanship for which the brand is known, through a three-dimensional architecture and a light-weight display system which together define a space where the products can take centre stage.

The walls and ceilings are clad in white-painted maple panelling to create a three-dimensional but neutral backdrop that is complemented by the grey limestone flooring and columns. All the display elements are intentionally reduced to the minimum possible and are formed of taut cables that support shelves and hangers that give the impression that the products are floating. The design references Bruno Munari’s tensile spatial structures, whose fundamental nature lies in the contrast between two opposing forces: tension and compression.

Suspended from the ceiling, stainless steel mesh partitions act as filters, subdividing the boutique and enhancing the sense of depth without obstructing the view. Together with the natural anodized aluminium counters, these partitions encourage fluidity of movement and a sense of transparency. In the fitting rooms, ivory-coloured horsehair fabric – AKRIS’s signature material – and cool grey mélange felt have been chosen for the walls and ceiling, while an ivory-coloured wool carpet covers the floor.