PressOn have worked with RIXO on a number of prior occasions, and our team always awaits their concepts and briefs with excitement as they are always creative, challenging, and fun to work on. In February 2020, RIXO put on their London Fashion Week winter season show, alongside a new display in their Chelsea pop-up store, both featuring printed graphics produced and installed by PressOn.
RIXO’s projects always bring an original flair, and their graphics are never run of the mill. This time round, we were involved in creating a stunning ‘baroque-meets-eighties’ aesthetic for their London Fashion Week presentation.
The Brief
RIXO have something of a reputation for creating immersive environments for their displays, and their briefs usually involve something a little out of the ordinary. To present their new collaboration with Christian Lacroix, RIXO decided to create a ‘decadent daydream’ at the Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel in Russell Square, London.
This meant transforming the presentation space in a visual style complementary to the collection of clothes the brand were unveiling. RIXO’s new capsule collection is a vibrant, exciting, bold assortment of polka-dots and bright colours. Their presentation brought together models of all ages and genders in a celebration of this new range, in a space packed with overflowing bowls of fruits, rainbow-hued meringues and pearly cakes stacked atop columns.
Shaunagh, one of PressOn’s project managers, met with RIXO 2 weeks before the presentation was due to take place, to discuss the vision for the space, and carry out a survey. The prints were agreed – a series of artistic graphics to adorn frames around the catwalk, and floor prints to completely cover the stage itself.
The challenge – turnaround time and colour matching
Every print project has its challenges – for this project, the turnaround times were tight; rapid turnarounds aren’t an issue for PressOn (with the benefit of a talented team and cutting edge HP printers…), but with this project the visual integrity of every element was paramount – particularly the floor lino, for which colour-matching precision was essential.
RIXO provided PressOn with a colour sample of the drapes they intended to use around the staging; the lino needed to flow naturally into the drapes, and match their colouring exactly. Colour-matching with this level of precision can be a challenge without the right software, hardware, and operator – and achieving this in a tight timeframe can be a real challenge.
The prints
The prints for this project included a range of graphics of different sizes and styles, printed to different materials. These included…
- A huge 4m x 3m photograph was installed for the bar area, printed onto Vortex blockout opaque fabric.
- 5 large canvas frames were created for the ballroom – we printed RIXO’s graphic designs to Phototex and installed the designs in the ornate gold frames around the space.
- Several small and large black frames for the reception area, made from removable vinyl, adhered over existing glass.
- For the catwalk floor, we printed floor lino for both sides of the catwalk, as well as the mannequin podium in the centre.
The Pop-up
For launches such as this one, branding consistency is also key across different locations and spaces. To coincide with this presentation and collection, RIXO also commissioned a series of graphics for installation at their Chelsea store. These included two kiss-cut decals for the glass at the storefront, as well as two double-sided hanging boards printed on both sides of 3mm Foamex.
The installation
When it came to the installation for this project, another tight turnaround was required. For projects where a public or private space is being hired temporarily, prints need to be installed and removed very quickly, to ensure business as usual can resume. Choosing the right materials are chosen for the job is a big part of ensuring this can take place smoothly.
For this project, the graphics needed to be in place for just 24 hours. To make this happen, PressOn’s installers completed the work on both sites in one visit – first installing the graphics for the store, before visiting the hotel during a Friday evening to get the prints in place for the presentation the very next day. All graphics for the show were removed by 6pm on the Saturday.
PressOn and RIXO
For some more insight onto some of the other projects we’ve worked on with RIXO, have a look at our case study for their Harrods popup here, and the London Fashion Week presentation we worked on with them in 2019 here. We look forward to many more projects with RIXO in the future!
For more information on how PressOn can help you transform your event or space, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Our expert project managers are ready to discuss concepts and plans, and help you find the perfect way to bring your project to life with large format printing.
