Destination shopping in Kolkata? Unconventional in Alipore is an exciting new genre of multi-designer store

What remains at the intersection of fashion, architecture and human experience? Plenty room for experiments. Plenty room for thinking against the winds of normality. Bearing all signs of how retail stores in India are undergoing an esoteric transformation, a new multi-designer space in Kolkata dubbed Unconventional is remoulding our sensorial interaction with fashion — the enigmatic built and interiors of the store being at the heart of this experience. 

Imagined by a mother-son duo Preeti and Yash Jhunjhunwala, Unconventional roosted in the upscale locale of Alipore hosts an interesting muster of new-age fashion designers. Neighboured by the cultural icons Victoria Memorial and Rabindra Sarobar lake a little further, the store, as the duo says becomes a venue for creators, artists and anyone for whom the idea of belonging is not humming the hymns of commonality. Designed by Raj Periwal of Maheshwari & Associates, the store easily stands synonymous to a museum of clothes, art and installations. “You don’t get to see and experience everything all at once!” He says.  

Splashed in grey micro-concrete, black veneer and metallic finishes, the store subtly emphasises on the colourful identity of the displayed clothing, furniture and artworks. A rather dramatic encounter at the store is a large metallic sphere that intentionally obstructs views of the rest of the space, while igniting a visual curiosity for what’s to come. “The central sphere obstructs your view of different parts of the studio, transporting you to different setups as you move around it.” What adds to this sensory exploration are details like the ripple metal ceiling and a reception table that seems to float.

A retail revolution perhaps? An unconventional layout for the namesake store does not recite the typical visuals of space efficiency. “We have internationally wasted space to not conform to the general idea of design.” What has been triumphed also is the idea of making visual statements by blurring the hierarchy between fashion and object design. 

Alongside the era’s zeitgeist labels like Huemn and Almost Gods to the 3D-printing shoes brand Outbreak, limited-edition pocket chair by Sudheer Rajbhar from aequo gallery in Colaba, Mumbai and the asymmetrical yellow sofa by Ligne Roset perch in curated corners. With tactile and visceral interaction at the pulse of this retail outpost, Unconventional reimagines the dynamics of commerce, art and consumerism bundled up into a frame that does not conform. Noticed the logo of the brand yet?

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