A Space to See Yourself

A transformative beauty experience where mixed heritage is not an afterthought, but the foundation.
A retail journey designed to empower, reflect, and include—shifting beauty from product- centered to person-centered.

A Space for Belonging

Shades is more than a store. It is a space of identity discovery, designed for mixed-heritage individuals who often feel invisible in traditional beauty environments. Instead of simply offering products, Shades offers understanding—through personalised technology, inclusive services, and cultural storytelling. Rooted in the experience of being “in-between,” the design challenges the industry’s surface- level inclusivity and reimagines retail as a site for belonging. Each floor unfolds a new layer of identity: from discovering your shade to celebrating your roots.

Design Intent

I aim to:
GET mixed heritage individuals
WHO struggle to find the right products
TO feel confident, empowered, and educated
BY designing a personalised, inclusive retail experience.

What You’ll Find at Shades:
On-site services (hairdressers, beauty advisors with shared heritage) Advanced technologies (face scanners, magic mirrors)
A swatch system replacing cluttered shelves with tactile discovery Workshop spaces for community, education, and confidence building

Transforming Retail, Reclaiming Identity

The future of Shades is more than physical space — it is a model for what beauty retail can become when it listens, reflects, and responds. Through a blend of cultural storytelling, technology, and community, Shades becomes a prototype for an inclusive, experience-led industry.

The project’s layered output offers a vision that is both grounded and speculative. From detailed interior drawings to immersive branding and spatial storytelling, Shades balances the poetic with the practical — a tactile narrative that can travel across cities and evolve into a global brand.

This is not just a store, but a statement: Mixed heritage deserves visibility. Personal beauty deserves discovery.

And design has the power to build belonging.