Highsnobiety Flagship Store

Highsnobiety has long been a successful, established digital shopping platform for avant-garde fashion. Now, under the leadership of founder and CEO David Fischer, the team has opened its first permanent brick-and-mortar store. The Highsnobiety flagship store on Unter den Linden has quickly become a pilgrimage site for fashion enthusiasts: Spread across 550 square metres of retail space, trend-conscious customers will find a finely curated and constantly updated selection of hip brands.

The visual concept for the store was created by Highsnobiety’s in-house design team in collaboration with Berlin-based interior design studio VAUST. The execution and lighting design were carried out by HENNECKE ASSOCIATES with advice from ERCO. “The space needed to feel forward-looking and innovative while still conveying the lightness and cost-efficiency typical of Berlin’s temporary use”, said Sebastian Hennecke. “Elements from the existing building, such as the elaborately refurbished raw concrete floor and columns clad with tile offsets, were contrasted with precisely integrated presentation surfaces made of brushed stainless steel and a clean ceiling installation.” A lighting solution was required that could be seamlessly integrated and uniformly applied throughout the space.

Uniform ceiling appearance as a design element with linear track downlights

The 30-metre deep space, which only receives daylight in the front area facing the street, features varying ceiling heights ranging from around 3.50 metres to around 4.40 metres. To create a cohesive, homogeneous spatial impression that serves as a contemporary, neutral backdrop for showcasing a variety of brands and products, the planners designed a uniform ceiling pattern as a key design element. Jilly linear track downlights from ERCO were installed along a strictly linear track structure, framed by a coarse, warm grey acoustic material made of cellulose. This setup appears flush with the ceiling rather than conventionally suspended, contributing to the overall minimalistic and integrated aesthetic of the store.

Optimum visual comfort and a high degree of flexibility: ERCO lighting solutions impress in many respects

VAUST’s original concept envisioned conventional fluorescent tubes to create an industrial-looking, linear lighting structure. However, the interior designers were convinced by HENNECKE ASSOCIATES’ alternative proposal: contemporary, energy-efficient, effective and durable ERCO luminaires. With a colour temperature of 3500K, these luminaires provide the desired uniformly neutral light and create high ambient brightness throughout the room. This lighting appears equally advantageous from every angle, making it an ideal setting for customers’ film and photo shoots for Instagram, for example. Events organised by popular brands generate a huge amount of digital feedback. Since opening, the Highsnobiety store has become a frequently publicised location, especially on social media. Flicker-free light is crucial for smartphone shots to eliminate stroboscopic effects. The Jilly downlights provide such flicker-free light and ensure high visual comfort even at a beam angle of 90°, thanks to their anti-glare louvre.

Lights for a perfect shopping experience: optimal colour rendition and flexible Bluetooth control

ERCO luminaires offer excellent colour rendering (CRI >92), ensuring optimal perception of the displayed products. Using Casambi Bluetooth control, the lights can be individually adjusted for changing presentations and special events within the salesroom. Pre-configured scenarios allow for different lighting schemes at night compared to daytime, and various dimming options (Jilly downlights can be dimmed down to 1%) enable the creation of accent lighting in specific areas of the store if desired.

“Probably the strongest argument in favour of the ERCO luminaires was actually the quality of light. Conventional fluorescent tubes meet a conceptual requirement and were therefore of interest to us, but they also compromise on quality. The Jilly downlights master the balancing act between conservative cassette luminaire and illuminated objects with the highest design standards”, said Joern Scheipers from VAUST Studio.