Jai Kumaran, co-founder of West of West, explains that the main challenge was choreographing a space to support these diverse activities that are often happening simultaneously. Instead of fixed rooms, the team has crafted loosely defined “environments”. “We wanted the boundaries between thinking, making and presenting to be genuinely porous so that the work happening in one space could spill into, influence and inspire what was happening in another,” he says.
The atelier concept helps to facilitate this, allowing for a range of spaces that are intentional but versatile, including Studio48 – a dedicated design workshop with an extensive footwear and apparel material library, advanced prototyping tools, printing facilities, sewing machines and photoshoot-ready backdrops. The spatial experience reflects the idea that creativity is not just one thing, with spaces conceived for both spontaneous collaboration and quiet concentration. As Kumaran puts it, the goal was for the building itself to generate “creative friction” to fuel the exchange of ideas.
