Burdifilek Designs Flagship Store for Joe Fresh in Downtown Toronto

In Toronto’s historically industrial Lakeshore District, the affordable fashion-forward clothing brand Joe Fresh recently opened its new flagship. Local designer Diego Burdi, creative director and founding partner of Burdifilek, planned the store to reflect the brand’s evolving identity, ensuring its core values translated into the industrial space. The resulting interiors feature muted materials and the brand’s signature bright orange hue, which pops up in cheeky ways.

To compartmentalize shopping zones organized by clothing—and avoid clunky signage—the Burdifilek team arranged a series of sculpted cubes in the 6,400 square-foot-space, which also help slow down foot traffic. Whether the cubes sit low to the floor with mannequins positioned atop or house a selection of clothing, the focus paid to the rectangular forms accentuates the building’s industrial bones.

“We wanted to use the least amount of materials possible with maximum effect,” Burdi shares. For example, to delineate the children’s section while creating a sense of curiosity that also appeals to adults, a giraffe’s head descends from the ceiling. Regardless of price point, Burdi explains that when thinking of the brand’s design-forward clientele, he wanted to create a fresh and memorable shopping experience amenable to the downtown lifestyle.