klee klee

Design team: Wendy Saunders, Ivan Yu, Byungmin Jeon, Lily Zhu, Rachel Wang, Liat Goldman, Jiaoyan

klee klee, a new brand from clothing avant-garde ZUCZUG/, takes its name from Tibetan, meaning ‘slow down’. Its big sister ZUCZUG/ is a camera ready fashion plate, but klee klee is an exploration of minimalism and low impact production that results in high impact design. Their concept plays with humans and nature coexisting equally and harmoniously, and looks to city dwellers wanting to turn down the volume, slow down their lives, and reconnect with natural rhythms and lifestyles.

When asked to design their first store, our initial thoughts went to the person who identifies with ‘klee klee’, and what their value systems would be. What would their space look like? How would they live? The goal then became to design a store that reflected the habitat of a person who lives by the idea of ‘klee klee’.

The conclusion was a place that is characterized by the collection of things inside, a simple and chic reflection on balance.

The naked space was white washed to bring out the perfectly non perfect texture. Led strip lighting emphasizes the length of the space, and draws the visitor to the ‘end’ of the store, where natural light filters across a sitting area that invites time for a cup of tea and a chat.

Although ZUCZUG/ and klee klee take inspiration from Tibetan plateaus and natural environments, both brands are contemporary and sophisticated in their own way. It was important to reflect its modern side in the design.

The furniture is simple and functional, inspired by the pieces Chinese builders use on building sites. There is a spareness to the choices that allows the interior to be influenced but never overtaken by the design. The pieces are separate, but connected through utility, and when placed together in the store, bring everything into a fine balance of urban cool and natural inspiration.

Steel hangers are stripped down to their basics.

The dressing rooms - one round and one square - are mobile, tent like spaces that can be randomly placed.

Ultimately, we organized the space with the simple routines of domesticity in mind: tea drinking, sleeping, working, storage. The result is not only a chic retail shop for visitors to peruse a new product, but also a place to experience a real life manifestation of klee klee.