INPRINT local fashion house - celebrating the parallels between interior architecture and fashion

Abstract

INPRINT is a local fashion house , involved with the adaptive re-use of the Saxon Building in the Pretoria CBD. The design attempts to: -Celebrate the relationship between past and present, new and old within architecture and the fashion industry. -Showcase the relationship between fashion retail and the craft of garment production. -Redefine the relationship between interior architecture and fashion. -Provide a platform to encourage and exhibit local fashion design and production. The reinfusion of energy into the interior space of the Saxon Building along Church Street gives the interior and the building as a whole its significance as currently it is insufficiently used and has no reference to the sites historical significance. Reprogramming and designing of this space also contributes to the current Tshwane urban renewal project of the surrounding area. This project was initiated due to a fascination between the role that interior environments and clothing have on an individual, as well as the dramatic change in fashion retail since the 1800’s. Through the introduction of a multi use program, the original function of the building, a retail store, becomes more accessible to a variety of users and the general public within and around the CBD. The interior as a whole becomes a network of interactive spaces encouraging personal relationships and social interaction, thus engaging the public with the craft of fashion. The existing character has been reinterpreted allowing the Saxon Building to regain its former identity and significance. This investigation supports the idea that spaces, as with clothing, contributes to the identity of the users, the South African garment industry and the greater context.