Via Monte adds oomph to suiting and fabric retailing

The concept strategy for Via Monte store was to create a consumer experience and inspiration centre to showcase suiting and fabrics. It is designed by FRDC. The overall strategy of visual merchandising for retail concept is inspiration, styling and hospitality. It is designed to ensure that the customer sees the sales floor clearly and encourages him to explore and experience. Large over-sized graphics give the consumer lifestyle clues, the ‘milan’ inspired fashion sense, as well as highlights each category.

Consulting at the studio tables, as an experience, is enhanced by tech intervention which runs style and fashion imagery on the screens for the consumer to get inspired from. The premium lounge which gives the customer a large exclusive section of the store with a special fitting zone within the area, gives the customer a special engagement zone with exclusive product and specialized selling.

The lounge becomes the grand finale to the store journey where, and a customer is given the star treatment with a large exclusive section of the store which has the special fitting area. The product display in this zone focuses on showcasing exclusive product and specialized custom selling which sets it apart from the rest of the store.

Retailing fabrics in India is a down-market wholesale market affair, with fabrics sold mostly like a commodity. Via Monte, recently unveiled their new store design created by Bangalore-based design firm FRDC that creates a consumer experience and inspiration centre to showcase suiting and fabrics. With customers becoming more confident and wanting to explore the market, the idea was to challenge the traditional way of selling and to create a gallery-kind of modern retailing space. This was the key driver for the design objective for the brand.

The site dimensions and shape posed a serious challenge due to very narrow width of store and an upper ground floor location.