A creative practice exploring time, memory, and the relationship between our lived experience and the physical world

Argent — Georgetown

Argent

Spaces

1250 Wisconsin Avenue Washington, D.C.

2024

Experiential Strategy

Spatial Design

Production

Following the first flagship opening and a considered brick-and-mortar expansion in their hometown of New York, modern suiting brand, Argent, set their horizons on Washington, D.C. for their next flagship store. A culmination of carefully-evolved retail iterations, the development of Argent’s D.C. flagship presence was also a process of renewal and transformation—of establishing a new haven for the city’s women working on a national scale, and of reviving a long-neglected space with a renewed sense of place.

1/4 A welcoming entrance to the store.

Finding home in a townhouse built at the turn of the 20th century, the historic Georgetown building immediately evoked charm with its petite footprint and brick-lined street setting. Inside, however, spoke of a different history—one lost behind fluorescent lights and linoleum floors, stripped away of any sense of inhabitation or place. Drawing from the building’s remaining details hinted at in its lofted ceilings and original windows, the approach to Argent’s DC store was to reinfuse the building as a jewel box filled with warmth of material, designed as a home for the brand’s community to convene, work, and use.

Fig 1.0 Wisconsin Avenue in the 1950's

Georgetown's long commercial history began on the waterfront as a shipping center and a hub to connect, shop, and transact. Buildings today retain their historic shells, but with new offerings for Georgetown's community today.

1/3 The storefront at 1250 Wisconsin Avenue.

Building upon the creative concept and spatial framework established with Argent’s preceding stores, the Georgetown retail experience was structured with intention across its two floors to create a programmed experience around product, around people, and around both to naturally come together.

Fig 1.0 The Conference Table

An invitation take a seat at the (literal) table. A communal "conference table" serves as an anchor to the retail experience, doubling its duty as the meeting place for checking into appointments and checking out at the point of purchase. With open seats to share, guests are welcome to sit, chat, or check an email.

Fig 2.0 The Work Wardrobe

A curated closet: thoughtfully merchandised assortment showcases the spectrum of the Argent line to showcase versatility through product styling, cueing ideas for mixing and matching. Through a combination of hang rails and shelving, areas are dedicated to both Argent product and featured “editorial” showcases for new, core, and seasonal collections.

Fig 3.0 The Salon

At the heart of the space, a living-room-like space with seating for coming together around product and brand. With the ability to flex into a gathering space for fireside chats and events, the space can be used as a platform for gatherings that integrate the brand into the fabric of the community—with the full product showcase always on view.

Fig 4.0 The Dressing Suite

A fitting room meets lounge, with personal rooms paired with social space. Dedicated to personalized appointments, fitting rooms offer place to recharge, or charge up, during sessions. Considered lounge seating allows for interactions between groups or newly-made friends, with concierge service and a beverage always on offer.

The historic building was not without its quirks, with varying heights and widths across both of its two stories. Using these shifting scales as cues, episodes of intimacy across the two floors began to unfold. The first—linear proportions marry paneled walls that carry the eye—and customer—through from front to back with a linear wash of light and clothes on display, as if shopping one’s own closet. And up the stairs, an exhale—ceilings open up on the second floor with natural light on an airy communal space. Towards the back, the ceilings dip into a sunken lounge, inviting one-on-one conversations, sessions, or a moment of reprieve.

Custom wardrobes and case pieces punctuate the space as a backdrop for both product on the retail floor and try-on sessions in paneled dressing rooms. A considered edit of furnishings provide moments to gather or rest throughout the space: a conversation of vintage chairs and materials of stone, wood, paper, silk throughout nod to both the delicacy and strength in Argent’s product—and the women who wear them.

Oak paneling create continuity across wall paneling and custom shelving, punctuated by vintage and contemporary decor and objects.

The dressing suite integrates services of convenience including integrated phone chargers and a hospitality bar.

Photography — Sean Davidson

Millwork & Fabrication — Brooklyn Fabrication

Lighting — Silver Shoe Design