Elissa Stampa Fashion Factory

TR

Designed by Slash Architects, Elissa Stampa is a new-age fashion factory located in the vibrant district of Bomonti, close to the center of Istanbul. The facility entirely dedicated to fashion lays in a four-floor independent building with a direct access to the ground level. The Elissa Stampa Fashion Factory is the third project designed for the client making the brand cohesiveness and identity building more powerful. The project can be divided into four main zones: the reception and essential service facilities, the showroom zone, the design office zone and the factory zone. Each with a different main function, the zones are linked to each other through noteworthy physical and spatial elements.

With such a diverse program, the layout is organized according to function and accessibility. The front façade is assigned to the showroom spaces that can tolerate more visibility to the public and are used as vitrines to the brand’s creations. The space in the back is allocated to the more administrative functions such as the open-office or the director’s office. These two main zones are connected by a mock-up runway corridor symbolizing the attention-consuming fashion business. Being a core space, the arched orange runway styled with the distinct lighting installation of a bird-like shape lighting units emanates a superior fashion experience. The upper floor is, too, another workspace distinguished by its rather contemporary features and relaxed elements. Joined by a clean-cut, minimal staircase, the two floors can be considered bold statements of the brand’s fashion vision. Elissa Stampa considers fabric design as a pillar in fashion and the venue had to deliver this specific message.

The reception area by the entrance is ornamented by an eye-catchy, pendant lighting installation as a contrast to the dominating gray concrete look in honor to the façade of the building. This approach grants the final design more cohesiveness and can be seen as an analogy regarding these two central elements. First, the cold monochrome concrete base in its different states diversified by the textures stands for a bare canvas ready to lodge bold elements. On top of it, come the pop objects such as the striking red chairs, the different floor patterns and the multiple lighting fixtures placed throughout the venue that stand out. Another element that enhances the architectural language of the project is the existing set of arches that have been sustained to create another soft clash between the past and the present in harmony.

The balance in exhibition spaces is usually challenging to sustain as both the base space and object are to stand out in different ways. Typically, in museums, the white cube approach is preferred as the art pieces are intended to get all the attention. However, in more commercial settings, a symbiosis of “the art” and “home to the art” is ideally obtained by exploring other directions instead of the radical contrast. Displays, hangers or even shelves can be key elements in exhibiting goods for a commercial purpose. In Elissa Stampa, the clothes and fabrics are exhibited using curvilinear yet minimal custom-made hangers that bring out the pieces. The showroom areas too, have a color theme; nude, gray or white, granting an experience within the Elissa Stampa experience.

Creating working spaces within an exhibition space is one another situation handled with care by the designers. The brand’s spirit is portrayed in these focus-requiring spaces through adopting a pop approach in terms of color splashes on the concrete gray canvas mentioned earlier, and through large typo graphics that adorn the walls and glass partitions. Usage of loud colors such as ruby red on both floor and ceiling coatings in contrast to shades of pale green that work marvelously with indoor vegetations has been carefully selected for these lively zones. Enriching the work environment with new-age features adds a distinguished take on the workplace area. Take for instance the secluded green cabins where more private conversations are to take place like phone calls or Zoom meetings. The transparency obtained through the usage of limpid glass partitioned enhanced by creative films also projects the brand’s work policy and encourages interaction between its different departments.

The Elissa Stampa Fashion Factory offers its users an authentic fashion experience that walks hand in hand with their artistic vision. As designers, merging the client’s spirit in an architectural proposal takes a lot into consideration. The process of design often starts with the space or the brand and generally ends somewhere between the client’s expectations and the designer’s expertise. The stroke of magic here is to bring to the table an even more elaborate project that joins various functions and typologies under one roof in what we love to call a harmonious contrast. Building a strong identity goes through a strong venue design where clients and users alike feel the impact of the brand on a daily basis. Ultimately, it is safe to say that this is the starting point of a legacy.