Our Roydvale, Christchurch location acts as a hub for so much of what we do as a brand. It’s where our office is, it’s home to the workrooms where we make our products, and our cafe, Untouched World Kitchen. It’s also where our flagship store is located, which we’ve recently redesigned in collaboration with Gezellig Interiors and our Creative Director Lucinda who is an expert in cultivating calm, airy spaces which lean into the quiet luxury of natural materials.

In refreshing the store, we wanted to create a space that was welcoming yet understated, while referencing our brand’s driving ethos and rich history. We carefully considered each detail and material used. With insight from Lucinda, let’s explore all the exciting changes at our Roydvale store.

Behind the design concept

“We were inspired by a story Peri told us, of being by a river and wanting to preserve that river for future generations so they too could admire the wonder of natural beauty,” says Gezellig. “This grounded us in a design centred around being at peace with nature.”

The thought-provoking story behind the design is manifested in clay tones which echo those of the riverbank, soft wood, and local stones. Clean, modern lines meet raw sophistication, just as the river sweeps smoothly past the banks in all their wild, unkempt beauty.

In the newly designed store you’ll find spaces to rest, organic shapes, draped slubby textures, and subtle details that tell a deeper story. For instance, the earthy palette of clay, sand, and slate is a reference to the Canterbury Plains where Untouched World began.

“It’s a place that feels like home, comfort, and calm. A place to come and relax, learn and be inspired by our culture, our relationships with farmers, and the makers of our clothing,” says Lucinda.

A sustainable space

Our planet-and people-first approach expands to everything we design, including our stores.

“We tried to use predominantly high quality, local materials for longevity,” explains Lucinda. The timbers are local, the natural stone is sourced from local quarries, and harakeke has been woven into fabric to make the stools in our fitting rooms. Wherever possible, reusing what already existed was just as important as we fitted out Roydvale.

“The offcuts from the cobblestones we used were used for POS [point of sale] holders.” Some of our signage is made from recycled Rimu sourced from a local timber yard, and cushions were made from leftover fabric from our collections,” Lucinda says.

“Although it can be difficult to balance budget and sustainability, we take a long term view, investing once rather than continually replacing and creating waste. It’s about finding the balance” Gezellig says.

The local collaborators

Our aim was always to support local businesses and use products that have a connection with nature,” says Lucinda.

“We used stone from Ōamaru, our Māori kites (or Manu Aute) were made by Paula Rigby at Te Puni Kōkiri, Te Waipounamu using harakeke and some of our possum and merino, and bespoke furniture and mirrors were made by local furniture maker David Shaw. Handles were made by Tom Mackie, the lighting was custom made by Nightworks Studio.

A view into the workroom

Something many people won't know is that most of our knitwear is made onsite in our very own workrooms in Christchurch. Now with the new addition of a window from our retail space through to our workrooms, our visitors can take a peek into our world and see our garments being made.

What you can expect from your shopping experience

In redesigning and refitting the store we wanted to give our customers a deeper understanding of our connection to nature and our passion for locally made garments, alongside a calm, enjoyable shopping experience. We’re certain we’ve achieved just that.

You’ll enter under a beautiful Manu Aute woven by Paula Rigby, and pass lettering on the wall acknowledging our recognition from the UN for our sustainability leadership reimagined as a sculptural art piece. You’ll be naturally guided through to curated sections for womenswear, menswear, and child and baby by what Lucinda refers to as “soft, winding touchpoints”, where you can browse our collections and see our natural materials and thoughtful details up close. Our beautiful counter takes centre stage in the middle of the space and the window to the workroom is nestled between the womenswear rails, offering an insight into our local manufacturing. Comfortable seating provides a space to rest, and natural fabrics and soft lighting will put you at ease during your visit.

We can’t wait to welcome you to our new Roydvale store. Please visit our stores page for our other locations.

For more insight into our design process, read our journal entry on the creation of our AW24 collection.