.avif)
CULT GAIA
Reimagining Retail Hardware
Cult Gaia brought me in to design a set of custom fixtures for a retail pop-up inside Fred Segal. The goal was straightforward: create brand-forward display pieces—racks, pedestals, and stands—that felt sculptural and specific to the label, not just functional retail hardware.There was no formal brief. I started with a piece of wire and shaped the first idea by hand. That turned into a brass rack system, which led to a larger suite of fixtures—all designed to match Cult Gaia’s architectural sensibility without mimicking it. Materials included brass, glass, and wood—elegant but simple, each chosen to carry weight and warmth without overwhelming the product.
Inspired by a bit of wire
There was no formal brief. I started with a piece of wire and shaped the first idea by hand. That turned into a brass rack system, which led to a larger suite of fixtures—all designed to match Cult Gaia’s architectural sensibility without mimicking it. Materials included brass, glass, and wood—elegant but simple, each chosen to carry weight and warmth without overwhelming the product.
Designing POS and Display Elements
They didn’t want generic retail infrastructure—they wanted pieces that felt intentional, designed, and clearly theirs. Each element had to stand alone in form, but still act in support of the clothing. Roughly ten pieces came out of that process, each one scaled and styled to sit comfortably in the space without fading into it.
In the End
The project was scoped for a single activation, but the fixtures ended up being used in other stores and pop-ups long after. I wasn’t involved in those later decisions—but when work keeps showing up, it usually means it held its own.
_Chris_Abatzis_Photos_ID5304.avif)
