Rachel Gilbert brings a contemporary approach to fashion design and styling, with a focus on refined tailoring and artisanal craftsmanship. Tasked with designing a luxurious boutique for Rachel Gilbert within Melbourne’s Emporium mall, Esoteriko embraced the brand’s signature ethos, draw- ing on the drawing on the fashion designer’s use of tailoring and texture to craft a fluid customer journey, subtly delineated through gentle material shifts.
Upon entry, visitors are met with an artful vista of crafted touchpoints suspended within a softened, tone-on-tone inte- rior. Creamy, earthen hues conjure tactility and warmth while delivering a chalky backdrop to Rachel Gilbert’s seasonal patterns and tones. Two shades of crazy-pave stone flooring define a border to the perimeter clothing displays, which ele- gantly present the designer’s ready-to-wear, evening and bridal collections with grace and restraint.
The store’s boundary walls gently undulate to guide move- ment, while a series of contemporary insertions in amber and blush-toned resin anchor moments of pause and reprieve. Esoteriko has celebrated the layering and transparency of the resin by cantilevering tops from their base plinth and tapering the edge’s profiles to emphasise light refraction. These sculpted pieces hold presence as relics – precious museum pieces to admire from any vantage.
