Leica Camera UK has opened Leica Store London Mayfair, a new UK flagship at 14 Dover Street that takes the number of Leica-owned stores worldwide to 116.
The 234 sq m store and gallery occupies a Mayfair town house surrounded by luxury brands, fine-art galleries, restaurants and members’ clubs. Client space is split across four levels and houses all of Leica’s product families, including cameras, sport optics, watches, home cinema and mobile, as well as its pre-owned and vintage range.
Leica Store London Mayfair becomes the brand’s UK flagship as its store on Duke Street closes, while Leica Store Harrods remains open as usual. The new store gives clients access to Leica’s full product and cultural portfolio, with private areas across several floors offering a more discreet and comfortable setting.
Inside the Town House
Clients are greeted by a curated wall of five photographs from Leica’s Hall of Fame, with the rest of the ground floor given over to the brand’s world.
The main architectural feature is an atrium that runs from the lower ground floor to the first floor, giving an unobstructed view of the sky and bringing natural light into the building. Suspended within it is a bespoke art installation, created for the store, intended to express the optical quality of Leica’s products.
The building’s curved form is carried through the interior, from the fixtures and furniture to a curved seating area on the ground floor. The bars and the key-product vitrine reference the architecture of Leitz Park, the brand’s headquarters in Wetzlar.
On the second floor, window bays allow clients to look at Leica watches in daylight or to test telephoto lenses and sport optics against views across Mayfair.
On the lower ground floor, an integrated Leica Gallery is dedicated to cultural and artistic experiences and a rotating programme of exhibitions by renowned photographers.
King Nerd Edition Marks the Opening
The opening is being marked with the sale of 14 special edition Leica M-A cameras produced with British artist Johnny Dowell, known as King Nerd. Dowell is a multidisciplinary artist, designer and engraver born and raised in West London, who has developed traditional hand engraving into a contemporary practice and has worked with luxury, fashion and lifestyle brands as well as on bespoke commissions for international clients.
The cameras are engraved with an English Rose, Scottish Thistle, Welsh Daffodil and Northern Irish Blue Flax to reflect the British Isles, and go on sale from 5 November at an RRP of £15,800. They will be sold with a Summicron-M 35 f/2 ASPH. lens finished in red scale, with the front of the lens blacked out and painted to match the colour of the King Nerd Edition.
Leica Store London Mayfair is open from 10am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, at 14 Dover Street, London W1S 4LW.
Terry Clark is the Publisher and Content Director of 365 Retail, with more than a decade of experience covering retail design, technology innovations, store openings and the wider retail industry. He also works closely with leading retailers, suppliers, agencies, events and industry awards across the UK.
Related Posts
