Located within the historic 1870 Royal Arcade building in Central Melbourne, Archive Store showcases rare and collectible sneakers on a single prefabricated acrylic armature. Introducing a sharp contrast into the traditional architecture of the arcade, the agile interior elements can be seamlessly relocated leaving the existing building character intact.

Showcasing a rare and valuable collection of sneakers, Archive Store engages passers-by through the clever use of dual aspect acrylic, configured to maximise product visibility and create the illusion that the shoes on display are floating in space. The 50mm thick acrylic sheets that form the central display are cantilevered vertically from the floor with minimal fixings, anchored within a low-level faceted plinth, which offers visual transparency akin to glass. Small circular punctures in each sheet allow a movable aluminium rod to slide through the acrylic to support each shoe. 

The perimeter walls are washed yellow, referencing the colours of the sneaker collection, while recycled fabric curtain screens the rear staircase. A steel rail peels outwards from the entry wall, providing additional space for displaying t-shirts. Off-cuts from the acrylic sheeting have been repurposed into a bench seat for customers to use as they try on shoes. 

Meeting the client’s tight timeframe for on-site installation of just a few days, the dynamic display, fabricated off-site and assembled on-site, includes an angular acrylic display wall and minimal steel racking that energises the rectangular plan of the tenancy and defines visitors’ movement through the space.