Amika Soho Pop-up – Vita Raykhman

ART DIRECTION, CONCEPT, VISUAL PRESENTATION

We partnered with Harry Nuriev and Maria Begun at Crosby Studios to bring an Amika pop-up concept store to life in May of 2019. The concept was built around the idea of community. Our starting point in telling this story was an enormous round styling station table.

Styling stations whether in salons or in cosmetic counters at department stores and beauty retailers, are always a solitary experience. It is the customer sitting in a char with a stylist or makeup artist hovering around them. We developed a styling station that was based on the large round tables we frequent on weekends for dim sum brunch. We were inspired by the warm communal nature of this experience. Passing food and sharing stories across the table or with those by our side.

THE HAIR CONFESSIONAL

A hair confessional installation gave customers the opportunity to share their hair stories and get answers to questions.

Lastly there was a hidden room. A surprise installation dedicated to amikas texture collection.

THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

The rest of the store was wrapped completely in the amika pattern and used a 10 meter high curtain that spanned from floor to ceiling to create “rooms” within the space. The effect was that of being inside an amika package.

THE COMMUNAL TABLE

As a finishing touch, we swapped out harsh lighting usually found at styling stations with complementary ring lights and phone holders for the perfect selfie opportunity.

This table became the center and heartbeat and heartbeat of the store. It was a career highlight to see our concept working as we had hoped. People really did engage in a way that we have never seen at beauty counters. There was an element of play and community It was truly a career highlight to see the concept we imagined work beyond our wildest dreams.

THE SENSORY EXPERIENCE

We layered this with an innovative ASMR experience. We created an interactive ASMR experience in which customers learned about the products and collections through an ASMR narration that made their scalp tingle.