Vashi to Open Flagship in Covent Garden, Unveil New Logo and Packaging

LONDON — Jewelry label Vashi is readying the opening of a new flagship in London’s Covent Garden that puts the focus on customer entertainment.

The store, slated to open on May 27, will also reveal the company’s vision for what a fine jewelry shopping experience should look like today.

It’s looking to engage customers with an in-store bar and digital installations that share customers’ love stories, given the label’s expertise in making engagement rings.

There’s also a lot more storytelling around the behind-the-scenes design process, with the store designed to resemble an artist’s studio. There will be a “state-of-the-art workshop” and makers’ benches on the shop floor to turn the spotlight on the craftspeople and allow customers to see them making the jewelry in real time.

Customers will also be encouraged to join in the design process with a series of customization services available, from personalizing a ready-to-wear piece to creating something fully bespoke. Customers will also be able to join the makers and add the finishing touches to their jewelry on the bench.

Private consultation rooms have been dotted around the space to allow for this level of service.

The new space, which was designed by the New York-based creative studio Mythology, spans two floors and 4,476 square feet, making it the largest space in Vashi’s portfolio, which includes a store on Piccadilly in London, spaces at Selfridges in London and Manchester and a unit at Westfield White City.

As part of the opening, the first spring 2021 designs by newly appointed creative director Liz Oliver will also make their debut — in “floating displays” that look as if the jewelry is suspended mid-air.

The company has also tapped London-based label Palmer Harding to create bespoke uniforms for the staff, and asked Timothy Han to devise a custom scent. Fred Rigby has supplied the furniture, which adds touches of warmth and color to the sleek, geometric structure of the space.

In line with its new store concept, the brand will simultaneously reveal a new logo and packaging, too.

“The world has changed and jewelry has to change with it. With the new Covent Garden store, we have been working on a retail concept that people will want to spend time in. We want jewelry to be accessible, interactive and, most of all, personal,” said Vashi Dominguez, the company’s chief executive officer.