by Jo Baker

It seems both fitting and fashionable to design a high-end lingerie store with minimalism in mind. Just as less is more in the world of underwear, luxury retail design has long subscribed to a similar philosophy.

For Lorenzo Apicella and John Rushworth at Pentagram, the fabled London-based multidisciplinary design firm, this was the natural starting point for the creation of Essenziale, a signature, unisex lingerie and beachwear boutique in London's gentrified Mayfair district.

The brief for the 100-square-meter (1,100-square-foot) store was to create a dynamic synthesis of graphic, interior, and fashion design, one that would both unify and highlight a buffet of top-end European brands, among them La Perla, Eres, and Dior. The size of the space suggested a fairly intense vocabulary, however.   >>>

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SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE The Essenziale store in London's Mayfair district, designed by Pentagram. Photo: Richard Bryant Extra Large Image Retail space at Essenziale occupies two stories, one at street level and one below. Photo: Richard Bryant Extra Large Image   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.