CHER'17 Showroom - a portal to another reality by Tempproject

The new space for the Ukrainian brand CHER'17 was opened on the first floor of a building built in the second half of the XIX century on one of the central streets of Kyiv. The designer's task was to create a flagship store that would showcase the brand's character and raise its status.

The design concept emerged from the trend of digitalization in the fashion industry. There are many stores with online showrooms and virtual fitting rooms, and virtual clothes that can be worn while inside the meta-universe are gaining popularity. The virtual space forms its own aesthetics, which is characterized by minimalism, playing with the proportions of objects and accented colors. The CHER'17 store is a physical interior created in the aesthetics of virtual space.

The reception desk, which imitates a massive block of stone, is a metaphor for nature, which boldly breaks into our accelerated lives. The value of nature remains a constant in both urban reality and sterile meta-simulation. It is a reminder of the opportunity to stop, exhale, recharge your batteries, and feel life by touch.

Another element that echoes nature is mirror and metal surfaces. They offer the store visitors a variety of options for "Instagram" angles.

"Mirrors of different shapes and configurations give additional air and blur the physical boundaries of space. For me, mirrors, just like steel surfaces, are a metaphor for a lake, a river, or gasoline stains in a puddle on the asphalt. Water is my inspiration, a living substance that can be observed endlessly. A natural luxury that we do not always appreciate," says designer Anastasia Tempinskaya.

Space

The store space is elongated and divided into three zones. The centerpiece of the first hall (the "Living Room") is a massive blue sofa assembled from elongated cylindrical shapes. Behind it is a Led screen for branded content. The shape of the sofa echoes the metal tables made of cut pipes and soft poufs in the fitting room area.

The second hall (the Boudoir) has walls and a podium of pale pink color. In the middle of the room is a pink marble sink with two taps: one for water and one for sparkling wine. Shopping with friends is not only about trying on and buying, but also about socializing and enjoying life.

The third zone ("Private Jet Cabin"), located in the back of the hall, is dominated by a rich ultramarine hue of surfaces and furniture.

Brand 

CHER'17 is a Ukrainian mass market clothing brand. The company has existed since 2017 and has 6 stores in different cities of Ukraine. The owners of the brand are a couple of popular Ukrainian influencers, bloggers and entrepreneurs Tetiana Parfilieva @tanyaparfileva (1.6M) and Ivan Kryshtal @vanyakryshtal (475K).

For Tetiana Parfilieva, the very premises of the flagship store at 12 Velyka Vasylkivska Street became symbolic. In addition to its central location in the historic part of the city, the space is connected to the blogger's family history. At the end of the last century, the iconic wine shop and restaurant Zakarpatska Troianda, a favorite of Tatiana's grandfather, used to operate here.

Retail Design in the Middle of the War

CHER'17 continues to operate despite Russia's full-scale invasion, supporting its employees and the Ukrainian economy. In addition to the brand's new collections, CHER'17's own production also works for military needs, making balaclavas and fleece jackets for the front line.

Work on the design of the flagship store began in August 2022. Client meetings with the designer took place between air raid sirens. Furniture production risked missing the deadline due to the power outage in Kyiv. On October 10, while repairs were underway, a Russian missile fell in the center of Kyiv, about half a kilometer from the store. Nevertheless, life in Kyiv continues - people go to offices, sit in coffee shops, attend concerts and go shopping.

Photo: Andriy Bezuglov