Retail Design Institute Southern California – Student Challenge ‘Beauty’

Students, members and colleagues of the Retail Design Institute Southern California Chapter recently met at the Vidal Sassoon Academy in Downtown Santa Monica for the annual “Student Design Challenge,” which was held on November 13^th.

In recognition of the Institutes’ 2014 International Student Store Design Competition (‘Beauty’) and concurrent with LA Fashion Week, this year’s challenge was an opportunity to explore the world of beauty and bring it to life in a retail environment; each of the students was tasked with creating a new concept salon for Vidal Sassoon. Creative leaders from the Vidal Sassoon Academy were on hand to give the students an introduction to the values and history of the brand, which helped spark some ideas.

The students were assigned a mentor from the design/retail industry who helped guide the work throughout the afternoon. The day of brainstorming was then followed by an evening review of the designs, and the final two teams were then selected and had a short amount of time to produce a model. Once the winner had been chosen, the students then had a chance to relax and network among fellow members and friends of the Institute.

In the end, the teams were judged on expression of the brand, engagement of the senses, innovative use of materials, integration of communication, graphics, and other specific retail disciplines where relevant.

Students from various local schools including Cal State Long Beach, Art Center College, SMC, and USC attended and participated, and each team came up with a concept that was truly impressive.

For members of the RDI, the event was a chance to evaluate emerging design talent and give back to the growing design community in LA. For students, it was an invaluable opportunity to meet with seasoned professionals from leading design firms and internationally recognized brands such as BCBG, Gensler, Guess, Forever 21 & others.

All in all, it was a great night, with delicious appetizers and drinks to go around. The evening was sponsored by the Sassoon Academy and Glow.

For more information on the event and the Retail Design Institute, please visit our chapter’s website here.