KWEMS, a parallel universe in the traditional center of Seville

Rocio Romero · 23 mar 2018
KWEMS in Seville’s historic center redefines menswear retail by blending traditional architecture with a space-time inspired design, reflecting African roots and modern fashion.
For anyone who lives in or has visited Seville, it is no surprise that the city center is a landscape of traditions and Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance nuances.
That is why anyone walking down Calle Cerrajería and taking a peek at what's brewing at number 8 will step into another space-time dimension: KWEMS.
BACKGROUND
Designer Olivia Mbia arrived at Nömad in 2016, excited about the design of the corporate identity for her menswear brand: KWEMS.
It was then that, going much further and inspired by the laws of physics, we wanted to unify everything that would happen around the new brand, turning it into KWEMS Universe and giving its stores the 'Space-time' concept, the corners the 'Satellite' concept, and the events, 'Momentum'.

After this, Olivia decided to open her first store in the center of Seville, and for this, she once again trusted our team.
Now it was time to apply the identity, to be faithful ambassadors of our work, and to see the initial effort materialized.
THE FIRST VISIT TO SPACE
From Fernando IV, in the Seville neighborhood of Los Remedios, where our Digital Marketing Agency is located, to Calle Cerrajería, in the heart of the center, questions filled our minds, and our curiosity grew.
“What would we find?”
“Could we extrapolate all those ideas that had been circling in our heads?”
“Who should we rely on for this (if it can be done)?”
“And for this other thing?”
In short, a series of long-awaited questions that we would answer during the process.

And we arrived. We came across a large two-story space, with stairs and an elevator, practically brand new. But empty, very empty. Let the fun begin!
Our eagerness grew. We wanted to see all the ideas brought to life!
ON THE DRAWING BOARD
As soon as we returned to the studio, we started giving shape to the project. And so began the full days with blueprints on the screen so the engineer could interpret our ideas, the hour-long conversations with suppliers, and the search for functional resources that, at the same time, would catch any passerby who turned their gaze inward off-guard.
GETTING TO WORK
Admittedly, the month of July in Seville is not exactly a wonder. With temperatures about to explode and part of the team 'getting to work.' Without a doubt, we collaborated with a team of professionals who made things much easier for us due to their extensive experience.

LINES AND DIMENSIONS
Our mission was clear: to move the visitor, to surprise them, to call upon their curiosity; in short, to embrace them metaphorically.
And what if we play with lines to create three-dimensional effects?

FURNITURE
As for the furniture, everything, absolutely everything, had to be original, different, exclusive, and above all, very striking within the simplicity of B/W.

THE FINAL TOUCH
The main unique feature of Olivia's designs lies in the use of fabrics, textures, and African-style prints as a tribute to her roots.

We couldn't overlook this. And we captured it in the elevators, camouflaging the device itself and giving a touch of color to the whole, which, once the store was assembled, would combine perfectly with Kwems garments.

KWEMS SPACETIME
Today, we want to share the result with all of you.
