Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/641736
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF AKRIS (BAG, RUNWAY, KRIEMLER); HILMER SATTLER ARCHITEKTEN AHLERS ALBRECHT BY CHRISTOPH SATTLER (RENDERING) American architect and designer Norman Cherner. Architecture has always been a major inspiration for Akris, and Boston in particu- lar has been an essential model for Kriemler. "It was our very first boutique [in the States]," he says. "I can see here like nowhere else how much Akris has evolved in 20 years." Now, he might bring some of Boston back home to Switzerland—on a recent visit, Kriemler met with students from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and Architecture, as well as Swiss architects Emanuel Chris and Christoph Gantenbein, to discuss a virtual case study of Akris' headquarters in St. Gallen, for which Kriemler is considering a renovation. "Who knows?" he says. "Maybe one day some of these great ideas will be part of a new Akris building." For now, Akris devotees can look forward to exploring the new Back Bay space and indulging in the spring fashion. Even that is architecturally accented; Kriemler collabo- rated with Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto to create a collection with minimalist lines that develop into punchy geometric details—cut-out circles, translucent squares, sketched triangles. Kriemler expects the Boston woman to love it. "This area, in so many ways, fits us perfectly: clean, quiet, understated, and intellectual," he says. "Just like Akris." 29 Newbury St., 617-536-6225; akris.ch . CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A rendering of Akris' new Back Bay boutique; laser-cut leather Naoshima Pavilion Ai bag ($2,390), after Sou Fujimoto's famous structure in Kagawa; a Spring Collection look ( WITH BOTTOM LEFT); creative director Albert Kriemler. "I LOVE ARCHITECTURE. IT TELLS A STORY. ALL MY BOUTIQUES TELL A STORY." —ALBERT KRIEMLER 116 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM SPACE DESIGN