Retail Architects Reconfigure a Visual Display Club
Playing with food is frowned upon—but use food to design a dress, and it might just win an award.
Grocery Couture, which featured Art Institute students designing garments from artichoke leaves and corn husks, was recently judged by the Retail Design Institute’s Southwest chapter, which includes Los Angeles and Orange counties. The event was held at the St. John boutique at Costa Mesa, Calif., luxury retail center South Coast Plaza.
The event was part of the new direction for RDI, formerly the Institute of Store Planners. It is an international organization of retail architects, interior designers and others interested in retail.
Jude Hannah and Ken Burgess were elected president and vice president, respectively, of RDI’s Southwest chapter.
They said they hope new events such as Grocery Couture and recent chapter field trips to stores with interesting architecture, such as the Space 15Twenty in Los Angeles’ Hollywood neighborhood, will foster discussion of leading trends in retail architecture and build networking opportunities for anyone interested in retail. Hannah said attendance for meetings has doubled to 60 people since she started serving RDI in December.
On Sept. 24, RDI will produce a networking event with a “rave” party theme. The party will focus on Art Institute students creating merchandising displays in a warehouse environment.
For more information, visit www.retaildesigninstitute.org/chapter/15.—Andrew Asch
