At The Dubai Mall, Dalziel & Pow developed a new retail concept for Napapijri, conceived as a flexible and adaptable framework for the brand’s future stores.
The project explores contrasts between natural and artificial, raw and polished, local and global, translating these oppositions into materials, displays and spatial organisation.
A retail concept based on contrast
The design is built around what the studio defines as elemental tension.
Natural elements are juxtaposed with man-made materials, while rough finishes sit alongside more refined surfaces. This contrast gives the store a deliberately layered character rather than a uniform retail language.
The concept reflects Napapijri’s attempt to position the physical store as more than a conventional sales environment, using the space as a place for community, interaction and cultural activity.
A central multifunctional space
At the centre of the store, a dedicated decompression area creates a pause within the retail sequence.
The space can accommodate meetings, exhibitions and informal gatherings, allowing the store to adapt to different forms of use beyond product display.
This open central zone also gives the layout a more social character, reinforcing the idea of the store as a physical meeting point.
A modular ceiling grid supports changing content
One of the key elements of the concept is the ceiling grid, designed as an adaptable framework for different types of communication.
LED screens, lightboxes and projected images can be repositioned within the system, allowing the visual identity of the store to evolve over time.
Around the perimeter, products are presented in a gallery-like arrangement, while open stock areas anchor the different zones and keep merchandise easily accessible.
Retail display and visual communication
The display strategy combines garments, graphics and digital content within the same visual field.
Large-format images create strong focal points throughout the interior, while lightweight freestanding fixtures allow clothing and accessories to remain visually distinct.
The result is a store in which retail display and communication operate as part of the same spatial system.
A sculptural storefront
The window display introduces a large sculpture created by a local artist, establishing a more expressive relationship with the mall circulation.
The installation reflects both the changing character of Dubai and the adaptable identity of the Napapijri concept, extending the visual language of the interior into the storefront.
Brand: Napapijri
Location: The Dubai Mall, Dubai, UAE
Design: Dalziel & Pow
Photo credit: Napapijri