L’Indochine brings contemporary Asian eclecticism to Mega Fashion Hall
MANILA, Philippines - The newly opened L’Indochine flagship store at Mega Fashion Hall is generating a lot of buzz not only because of its treasure trove of well-curated finds from Southeast Asia, but also because of its eclectic design elements.
The 251-square-meter store, which is three times larger than the first store at SM Aura Premier, is a collaboration between a new generation of designers and retailers: Char Panutat Carlos and Leona Lavina-Panutat, the adventurous duo behind L’Indochine, and designer Mara Cosculluela-Quintal, who designed the flagship store’s beautiful interiors with husband Kirby.
The Panutats, who are retailers, and the Cosculluelas, who are into design, have long been family friends, and working together in a project that tied together their family’s respective businesses has been very exciting.
The Panutats have their roots in retailing and C&L, as they prefer to be known, and say that they learned much about the business — teamwork, the importance of service and their choice of merchandise — from mom Linda Panutat.
The adventure continues in their flagship store, which will introduce a wider range of products; apparel and accessories from India, Thailand, and Indonesia will make their way onto the racks, while the home collection will focus on accent pieces. There will be furniture, beddings, and rugs in upcoming collections.
Mara, daughter of well-known architect Willy Cosculuella, says, “We were inspired by the L’Indochine story: two friends — one a bit preppy and the other very much bohemian. They come from different worlds but share the same love for traveling. The store is a celebration of this friendship of diversity.”
Mara was influenced by her father’s creativity as she was growing up. “I remember my dad would always sketch with us and I would go with him to visit job sites,” she recalls. “We were always exposed to design and its appreciation. My interest for design developed from there.”
She adds, “One of the most important lessons I learned from my dad about the design process is to make sure to take care of relationships made with clients.”
And she applied these lessons in designing the interiors of the L’Indochine flagship store.
“We call the style of L’Indochine contemporary Asian eclectic. The store is a celebration of diversity in different cultures. The items are handpicked for inspired living, so the space reflected that sentiment with vivid walls of mango and teal.”
With that, she drew inspiration from the unique items that L’Indochine carries, which also became an integral part of the display system. Tables from Tibet, for example, are also used to showcase accessories, while most of the displays shelving and tables are actual products for sale.
The ceiling incorporates a trellis design that can be used as supports to hang display items, graphics, and visual merchandising.
“Because Megamall is almost three times the size of Aura, there are more opportunities for the planning of the store. The new store can now sell larger items and furniture. (And with more space,) we were able to create special areas like the center showcase, which we call the sala. It is used as space for valuable items but can be converted into a special area for in-store events. Sala not only means living room, but in Thailand, it is an open pavilion used as a meeting place.”
The store is warm and homey with elements like a wrought-iron railing and color cement tiles that help create a welcoming circular flow around the store. “With the pocket displays and visual merchandising, customers can have an easier time imagining how something might look in their homes.”
One interesting corner of the store is the look book gallery. It is a wall area with picture frames that feature C&L design inspirations, travel sketches and photographs, as well as L’Indochine press items.
Those planning to add a touch of exotic to their homes or searching for an exquisite gift can visit L’Indochine store at the fourth level of SM Mega Fashion Hall.
