0914 Flagship Store

The 0914 Flagship Store is a multipurpose commercial space for Simone, a Korean high-end leather handbags company. Simone is the world number one OEM (original equipment manufacturing) company of luxury handbags and they have been working for Burberry, Michael Kors, Coach and other high-end brands for 30 years. Based on the renowned manufacturing quality, Simone has launched their first luxury brand, ‘0914’ and built 0914 Flagship Store in the center of high fashion commercial area in Seoul. The store is located in the Dosan Park area crowded with international luxury fashion shops and haute restaurants. The flagship store is a mixed-use space for brand shops, café, restaurant and art gallery. In this building, 0914 hopes to introduce the leather craftsmanship amassed over their long history and celebrate the brand value, which expresses the quintessential quality of handbags. TRU Architects+Eho had been invited for the design competition and won the first prize. For a start-up luxury brand which has a long manufacturing career, we proposed a ‘village’ which houses brand new products, craftsmen and artists. Transcending the basic role of a flagship store for the introduction and purchase the goods, here is a village where the old leather craftsmen is working with rising designers for the synergy creation. The concept of ‘co-working village’ agrees with the business culture of Simone, which for a long time has supported growing artists and reflected artistic creativity in the design and fabrication of handbags. The shape of building was formed in the image of village with small stacked houses carved in a box. There is a contrast between a pure white box and brick houses in form, color and texture enhancing the effect of engraving. Engraved village is reversed in the interior space to form extruded small gabled houses for shops and studios.