HOUSE OF SILHOUETTE in Vienna: umdasch The Store Makers creates a unique retail experience

With the opening of the HOUSE OF SILHOUETTE on 2 December, renowned eyewear manufacturer Silhouette Group is setting new standards for premium optics in Vienna to mark its 60th anniversary. Located in a historic building at the prestigious address Herrengasse 1, visitors can expect an exclusive store that immerses consumers in the world of premium eyewear.

The Silhouette Group, a family-owned company based in Linz, is opening its first brand experience store. This brings together all three of the group's eyewear brands – Silhouette, NEUBAU EYEWEAR and evil eye – under one roof for the first time. The store in the historic Palais Herberstein in Vienna's first district was designed around the themes of ‘health and style’.

Unique experiential architecture and sustainable materialsumdasch The Store Makers was commissioned to implement this extraordinary project, providing general contracting, shopfitting and digital retail services. Working closely with the concept and design team at the Ippolito Fleitz Group, umdasch created a forward-looking brand world. In line with the motto ‘See and experience’, the focus is on the personal experience – here, the three brands of the Silhouette Group can be experienced and felt. Sustainability played a central role in the shopfitting: for the shelves and back walls, the shopfitting experts at umdasch used ECHOJAZZ, a material made from 100% PET with a minimum of 50% recycled PET. The materials used were chosen to meet the requirements of environmentally friendly and durable shopfitting. At the same time, the charm of the historic building has been preserved – the original staircase of the Palais Herberstein has been lovingly integrated and forms a stylish connection between the floors. An extraordinary refraction room in the stairwell is the central element that attracts everyone's attention. Here, the shopping experience is combined with state-of-the-art advice – a tribute to the DNA of the Silhouette Group.

Craftsmanship meets digital innovation
Special highlights in the form of innovative digital elements, realised by umdasch's digital experts, underline the exclusive character of the store: on the ground floor, visitors are greeted by an L-shaped LED wall measuring around 30 m². The large-format installation by umdasch's digital professionals has a wow effect, presenting the brand content in impressive size and resolution. In addition to the impressive LED wall, umdasch also relied on forward-looking digital solutions such as a virtual ‘try-on station’ on the first floor. This technology, which is already used on the Silhouette website, allows customers to try on eyewear models – both those in stock and those that are not – and view themselves on a screen that functions like a mirror. This feature supports the personalised customer journey and the design aesthetics of the store.

A store worth seeing

"HOUSE OF SILHOUETTE shows how the combination of shopfitting, experiential architecture and digital solutions can be optimally successful. For us at umdasch, it was a pleasure to be involved in this project – from general contracting services to the manufacture and assembly of the shopfitting to the installation of the digital elements. The result is a unique location that impressively reflects the identity of the Silhouette Group," says Christian Walder, Key Account Manager at umdasch The Store Makers.