White water retailing: HIC opens store in Amsterdam’s red light district

HIC, designed by Dutch architects XML, uses a bright, sterile, laboratory aesthetic to differentiate itself from other premises in the area. White light emanates from the shop front, casting a bright shadow on the alleyway in which it is located.

‘XML’s challenge was to come up with a design that could attract people that pass by and yet communicate to be something completely different from its neighbours,’ Max Cohen de Lara and David Mulder, co-founders of XML, tell LS:N Global. ‘The architects decided to play with the idea of light, as it is already the most important aesthetic feature of the area in the evening.’

Staff add to the theme by wearing white lab coats, and consumers can choose between water or Reset, HIC’s vitamin drink designed to combat the effects of alcohol, from behind a nine-metre translucent bar that radiates a white glow.

For more on how brands are using pharmaceutical aesthetics to reinforce the health benefits of their products, read our Designer Pharmacies microtrend.