WELCOME: Our New Highpoint Store

By AQUILA

Now shortlisted for the Australian Interior Design Retail Award.

Welcome to the new look AQUILA Highpoint. In partnership with the incredible team at Platform by Design Office, we’ve created a space that not only celebrates craft and quality, but just feels good to be in, whether you’re just visiting to say hello to our team or to browse our new range of shoes and accessories.

We’ve picked the brains of two very important people on this project – Luke Longo, CEO of Aquila, and Mark Simpson, the Joint Creative Director at Platform by Design Office.

Three words that you would use to describe the store:

Mark – Layered, Tactile, Intimate

Luke – Balanced, Rich, Crafted

Photography by Tatjana Plitt.

What are your favourite features?

Luke - I can’t say there is one key feature, but my favourites are the front display table with feature lighting and rear wall combination of stainless steel, stone and timber elements. The feature table really allows us to showcase key products and the rear wall elements echo the richness in our own product and materials.

Mark - We love how the tiered timber shelving units have an elegant and crafted simplicity. They take their cues from furniture design, communicating a contemporary confidence providing a warm, illuminated and backdrop which works with the full Aquila range.

The bead-blasted stainless steel on the shopfront is another favourite moment. The cool matt lustre of this material works really well with the generously sized glazing framing views of the warm timber inside.

Craft and quality are so essential to the Aquila brand – how did you go about translating that into the design of the store?

Mark - Communicating the contemporary heritage of the brand in built form was the key starting point for us. We really wanted to distil the essence of the Aquila brand in a way which is tangible to customers whilst providing the right backdrop to really showcase the shoes and lifestyle goods. For us, these qualities are referenced and reinforced through the selection of materials and the way in which they are detailed. This manifests itself in the consideration of junctions, refinement of proportions and nuanced selection of materials. Crafted timber junctions, refined stone joints, tightly radiused stainless steel. Overall, the balance of these materials, the way that customers engage with them and the way they are illuminated should come together to encapsulate the craft and quality of the Aquila brand.

What can Highpoint customers expect from their new shopping experience?

Luke – The same dedicated, one-on-one service, in a store that truly reflects the rich history and craftsmanship synonymous with the Aquila brand. Our team at Highpoint, led by Sheeba and Tony, are experts in their field, and they can now do what they do best in a space that celebrates our brand, and our seasonal collections.

Visit our Highpoint Store here.

Explore Platform by Design Office.