Youtopia, Monkey Business in Ravensburg.

Youtopia, a place for dreams where anything is possible. A fantasy world for presenting fashion innovatively and whisking customers away on a voyage of discovery. For the very first time, the team at Dan Pearlman took a fictional idea and transformed an entire four-storey department store into a bona fide adventure on approximately 1000 sqm of floor space.

This also meant implementing a uniform concept that would allow for a range of distinct sales areas. A detailed communications and PR campaign was designed to get future ‘Youtopians’ excited about the coming events.

Monkey-esque’ world

Four storeys, three units at Dan Pearlman and all sorts of detail work, from inventing a Youtopia storyline to implementing the graphic elements and interior design of this ‘monkey-esque’ world, describes just a few of the features of this undertaking. The tasks of writing copy, developing a Facebook strategy and implementing event-specific communications campaigns also fell to Dan Pearlman. In short, most of the team was caught up in a ‘Youtopian’ frenzy and each member did what was required to ensure that visitors were duly amazed by the opening and beyond.

The monkey finally got its due when the newly designed Bredl Fashion House opened its doors on March 15, 2013. In the lead up to the big day, curious events heralded the coming of a new dynamic attraction in Ravensburg. Monkey shapes, graffiti, footprints and ‘man-apes’ gone wild in the city itself and on Youtopia’s Facebook page set the stage for an immersive shopping experience that demonstrates the pluck and innovative authority of Bredl the traditional department store, both locally and beyond.

YOUTOPIA Ravensburg, Dan Pearlman

Here, each floor, from Sparkling Jungle to Brave New Brainiac, tells its own story, casting a spell over young target audiences. Waiting to be discovered at every corner are astonishing features like the store’s own photo booth ‘Photopia’ or the ‘Monkey Lounge’ and its very own Fliewatüüt. In addition to interior design elements, which provide the framework for the design concept, graphic elements also bolster the overall presentation. On the ground floor, the Youtopia manifesto greets visitors and underlines the need to step outside the ‘norm’ for just a little while. Both signage and graphic elements, apparently created by monkeys, point the way and lead customers deeper and deeper into a world of fantasy.

The communications campaign also reflected a similar approach. In the lead up to the big event, this included a countdown on Facebook, a map with monkey sightings and the latest activities of the primates in Ravensburg, and finally reached its peak on opening day with parkour practitioners and monkey drinks. Created was a fully integrated outcome that displays the talents and skills of Dan Pearlman’s various disciplines.

YOUTOPIA Ravensburg, Dan Pearlman

Agency Dan Pearlman Markenarchitektur GmbH
Project Youtopia
Location
 Ravensburg, Germany
Area
ca. 1000 mq
Interior Designer
Volker Katschinski
Photos courtesy
Guido Leifhelm

Project parties
Architect/
Manfred Weisenburger
Shopfitting
Gerhard König GmbH
LED-Spotlights
D & L Lichtplanung
Street Art Peechbeach

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