Valextra
Isetan Store - Tokyo
2020 EXTRAOlympics was originally conceived by Valextra to celebrate the Olympic Games in Tokyo, and it has now become a beautiful and powerful message of unity, friendship and worldwide collaboration against the threat of COVID-19, an important idea in this difficult moment.
The official symbol of the modern Olympic games features five interlinked colored rings, representing the Continents. Valextra shares this message of strength and hope through collaboration, something the Company has always encouraged with its projects.
2020 EXTRAOlympics is a project conceived in collaboration with Atelier Biagetti, the Milan based studio led by husband and wife Alberto Biagetti and Laura Baldassari.
Unveiled at the Japanese capital’s Isetan Shinjuku department store, the installation took over The Stage, an exclusive exhibition platform located at the centre of the store just for 1 week, from March 25 to April 1st.
The project by Atelier Biagetti is a fitting exercise in escapism, an immersive environment inspired by 1980s video games and referencing the quintessential iconography of Olympic disciplines. Colours and shapes contribute to strike a balance between the playful illusion of a classic sport environment and a boutique setting, while materials play visual tricks on the viewer, merging the aesthetic and conceptual themes of Atelier Biagetti’s work and the sophisticated artistic language of Valextra.
The project by Atelier Biagetti is a fitting exercise in escapism
The platform is closed off on the sides by the ropes and posts of a boxing ring, here appropriately rendered in wood and leather; similarly, the floor’s astroturf-inspired mint green carpet punctuated by white lines is unexpectedly soft while resembling the grass of sport fields. Some of the design’s components are more faithful to their gym-inspired origins, albeit infused with a Valextra touch, such as the three large columns anchoring the stage, which serve as mirrors for customers but are dressed with electric blue foam mattresses held in place by yellow and black leather bands, courtesy of the Valextra master artisans.
Other parts of the design borrowed from Olympic imagery are the bleachers and podium, two graphic touches doubling up as display areas. In their simplicity, these geometric elements are waiting to be inhabited by the colorful Valextra products, like the international audience to a game. Further display within the space is offered by an electric blue pole vault and by three round ping-pong tables dedicated to small leather goods, with tops designed as football pitches and chunky Plexiglas legs. A mini golf course is added as a decorative element on one side, a further addition to the eclectic mix of athletic references.
These elements merge into the space and create an immersive narrative: every corner plays a part in the game and contributes to involve the spectator into this imaginary visual system. Here, Atelier Biagetti create a short-circuit between familiar memory, iconography and luxury. It is very much in keeping with the studio’s theatrical work merged with Valextra’s colorful language.
The display debuted Valextra’s collection dedicated to the Olympic games:
a series of sport-inspired, made to order pieces in monogrammed K-Val canvas and iconic pergamena-white leather. The bespoke capsule includes a full set for golf, cases for ping-pong and tennis rackets, basket, soccer and volleyballs, and smaller cases perfect for every sport occasion. Every piece is accessorized with tags featuring the distinctively graphic Japanese flag. The bleachers were filled with more than 60 different bags in a palette of over 40 different colors to symbolize once again the multi-culture global audience of this special event, like joyful spectators to a game.
This collaboration is a further step in Valextra’s constant creative reinvention, a new affirmation of the company’s commitment to creative collaboration, visual innovation and a deep connection with a strong underlying attention and concern for what is going on in the world.
Elements merge into the space and create an immersive narrative