MANITO

Category: Retail - Interior Design, Installation
Location: Xintiandi, Shanghai, China
Size: 100 sqm - S
Year: 2020

Manito: A Delicate Haven in Xintiandi

Manito's store embodies lightness, beauty, and sensuality within Shanghai's historic Xintiandi. Contrasting the textured brick facade, its pale, softly-curved interior showcases delicate silks and intimate apparel.

Kinetic art installations intrigue passersby: hardened stainless steel mechanisms, enhanced with 3D printing, gently animate bold aquamarine silk, revealing its flowing beauty against light.

Inside, wrapped walls and a translucent pink table guide visitors. Grey plinths line the walls. A space-saving marvel transforms via a motorized silk drape, enveloping a large chair to create a private, luxurious changing room from the public area. Brushed steel, grey leather, and calming beige tones complete the serene atmosphere.

Facade of Manito Shanghai Xintiandi store with kinetic art installation themed on silk

Historic brick facade featuring modern kinetic art installations blending history and contemporary design

Kinetic art installation in glass case made of deep blue silk and aluminum with geometric elements

Art installation of deep blue silk featuring intricate mechanical components

Kinetic art installation with blue silk floating like a jellyfish, driven by aluminum arms on circular mirror plates

Detail of art installation showing deep blue silk and intricate metal components

Inside Manito store, kinetic art installation of deep blue silk and metal in window, silk products on wall shelves

Dynamic art installation of deep blue silk and metal spheres, with silk swaying to showcase its soft, flowing nature

Detail of kinetic art installation with deep blue silk and mirrored metal spheres

View through Manito store window showing wall artwork and silk art installations extending outside

Manito store in soft tone, curved space displaying silk products and art installations

soft tone design, curtains forming flexible dressing rooms for versatile and efficient use of space

Soft tone store design of Manito, silk product display

Soft tone store design of Manito, silk product display and art installations

Dressing room with irregular curved mirrors and beige walls creating a soft, gentle atmosphere

creative silk hanging rack made of continuously curved metal tubes

Detail of pull-out glass product display cases

For Manito we wanted to convey a sense of lightness, of beauty and of sensuality.

We have conceived of a pale toned store with soft edges, rounded corners and supple drapery that forms a background to delicate silken garments, sleep-wear and intimate attire.

This small delicate store is inserted into an historic building within the Xintiandi complex; a hardened façade of textured brick and rough cast textured concrete.
We wanted to create a focus to this building, and attractor to passers by, whilst respecting the architecture and acknowledging the sensitivity of site.

Soft edged planes seemingly break the fenestration and protrude out of the façade, serving as display plinths for two art installations that serve to pique passers by gaze.

Each installation is kinetic, gently moving elements in hardened stainless steel, the hard mechanical aesthetic is in stark contrast to the objects that are the focus of their manipulation; single pieces of delicate silk fabric in a bold aquamarine blue. The stainless steel mechanism is augmented with 3D printed components - designed to manipulate the silk to give the apparent feeling of movement, flow and contour - silk reacts most beautifully to light in a moving state - our installations serve to create constant movement to display the beauty of silk.

Within the store, walls wrap and guide visitors within, a translucent pink display table anchors the space, whilst light grey plinths line the walls and act as serving counter.

The small space is a transformer - with a generous space given over to a large soft chair which can be enveloped by a motorized silken drape that can change this space from public to private - giving customers the privilege of a large beautiful changing space. Space to try clothing in privacy. This changing space is a device principally to save space, within this cozy store.

Brushed stainless steel compliment grey leather shelving and work well with beige and grey floor and wall tones to give a calming atmosphere.