Architect(s): MA-MA | MASS Studio
Address: 99 Prince St, NEW YORK, United States
Latitude/Longitude: 40.72485502526073,-73.99882588897455
RIMOWA is proud to announce the opening of “The RIMOWA Passport Studio,” a reimagined passport photography experience at their newest retail flagship store in Soho, New York, at 99 Prince Street. The RIMOWA Passport Studio equips travelers with a convenient and elevated photography solution when renewing their passport. While most travel plans have been on hold due to the global pandemic, now is a good time to check one’s passport expiration and update a passport photo for all future travels.
A welcome change from the standard photo experience at a drug or convenience store, The RIMOWA Passport Studio has been designed to create an elevated environment for a passport photoshoot, including comfortable seating, flattering lighting, and a seamlessly automated user experience. The self-service photo booth affords visitors complete control over the process as they make selections for their travel-ready, 2” x 2” US passport portrait that accompanies travelers for a decade of travel. Physical passport photos are printed on the spot and can be shared as digital versions for safe-keeping or reprinting. Sessions are complimentary and no appointment is needed. In addition, The RIMOWA Passport Studio is built centrally inside the new Soho store with an architectural divider offering a safe, private space for portraits, separate from the shoppers’ flow.
To celebrate the launch of The RIMOWA Passport Studio, RIMOWA will reveal a New York City exclusive campaign featuring ads of a selection of portraits taken at the RIMOWA Passport Studio. The campaign will takeover Soho via wild postings, metro station boards, digital LinkNYC boards, as well as geo-targeted mobile ads.
“We’re honored to open The RIMOWA Passport Studio in our latest RIMOWA store in Soho, New York,” said Emelie De Vitis, CMO of RIMOWA. “For us, this new location is an exciting opportunity to continue growing the U.S. market and explore innovative ways to connect with our audience on different aspects and touchpoints of modern travel; particularly during this time of more limited mobility.”
The Passport Studio is just one defining element of the 800 sq. ft. RIMOWA Soho store, which soft-opened in July 2020, tucked between Moncler and the iconic Mercer hotel. The space incorporates neutral, industrial materials like white Corian, brushed aluminum, and grooved polycarbonate panels that recall the brand’s signature design cues. RIMOWA worked in collaboration with the MA-MA/Mass Studio design team to bring their vision to life, designing this location exclusively. A main showcase of RIMOWA Soho is a bespoke 12.5 foot-long modular presentation table that runs along the center of the store. Custom built in Portugal, the multi-functional stone table can be repositioned to allow visitors to circulate through the store in a variety of ways. Also unique to this location is the floating window display conceptualizing the 200 parts used to build a resilient RIMOWA suitcase.
In addition to displaying some of RIMOWA’s most iconic luggage stickers, to commemorate the new store opening, the brand has commissioned an exclusive sticker honoring the historically vibrant Soho neighborhood, available for purchase in-store.
Alongside the contemporary collection of products and travel accessories, RIMOWA Soho showcases an exclusive selection of vintage cases from its archives in Cologne, Germany. From one of the first RIMOWA grooved aluminum suitcases to a wardrobe trunk from the 1940s, customers can discover the brand’s 123-year contribution to travel and culture as it continues its rapid growth in North America.
Text decription provided by the architects.
Design: MA-MA and Mass Studio – Sanam Salek, Laylee Salek, Safura Salek
Fixture dabrication: Space Inverters
Window display fabrication: Studio Dada
AV/Tech development: Brooklyn Research
Contributed by MA-MA
