Michel Brisson_ Menswear Boutique

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Michel Brisson_ Menswear Boutique

Firm

SIZE

1000 sqft - 3000 sqft

The MICHEL BRISSON_ store in Old Montreal is designed to simultaneously highlight the quality of the finely tailored garments on display as well as the historic context of the century-old building.

From the entrance of the store, a reflective black wall extends across the pristinely white, minimally modern space. Puncturing this wall is a window that opens onto a 19th century interior, a seemingly rediscovered vestige of the past. Peering toward this bygone era, visitors encounter an archaic mirror that reflects both spaces back to the observer, creating a striking superimposition of epochs, wherein the historic fabric of Old Montreal and the architecture of the 21st century converge.

Just as in a canvas by 17th century painter Johannes Vermeer, a spatial and temporal exchange takes place through the window between these disparate worlds. The long, black reflective boundary in turn mirrors the new into the old and this game of visual interaction between periods continues, rendering the space subtly out of focus while offering visitors a glimpse of themselves and the clothing from an alternate perspective.

The appearance of the store from the street is equally evocative. Looking past the old stone façade, passersby catch sight of the bright, new space juxtaposed with its darker, antiquated counterpart, one embodying modernity and contemporary fashion, the other evoking a simpler, old world charm. At once distinct and complementary, these spaces form a unique environment for the shopping experience.

The lighting, also designed by Saucier + Perrotte, doubles as a suspended system on which to hang clothes. By means of a flexible ceiling grid, multiple spatial and lighting arrangements are achieved for display so that the space itself can be tailored to a variety of special events or collections.

The shelving along the south wall forms a sculptural carved object for display that can be slid along a track, providing an elegant separation for the ‘visible storage’—clothing clients can glimpse while browsing—a principle of semi-display used frequently today in museums. The idea to treat the garments as artistic pieces both sets apart the clothing as distinct and heightens the user’s awareness of the materials and couture.