Retail and culture converge in Barcelona's 'Nude Library'

If I said the words' Nude Library' to you, what springs to mind? Is it a beautifully designed flagship store in a Spanish shopping village? Well, that's what we're talking about here.

Valencia-based architecture firm El Departamento is the creative mind behind the space, Nude Project's new permanent streetwear store at La Roca Village in Barcelona.

Undoubtedly, the six-meter-high wooden bookshelves that encase the main space are the biggest showstoppers (my IKEA BILLY bookcase suddenly feels inadequate). This architectural element was designed to merge display and library functions, creating a space where fashion is in dialogue with culture. If you know Nude Project, you'll know that this transcendence of traditional retail concepts also speaks to the brand's wider identity.

Its new 100-square-meter space is Nude Project's first permanent store. The company wanted to create an environment that explores the intersections between design, art, and community. According to El Departamento, the space is also inspired by La Roca Village's spirit and distinctive character, which evokes a late 19th—and early 20th-century Catalan village.

To respect the wider environment, El Departamento sought to integrate the store seamlessly into La Roca Village, making sure it had an affinity with the streets, main square, theatre, and commercial promenade. Studio co-founders Alberto Eltini and Marina Martín realised that a bookstore was missing from this space and that, if done right, it could become a new cultural landmark.

This is how 'Nude Library' was born, a space where the DJ booth reflects the brand's connection with art and music, while a six-meter-high wooden bookshelf symbolises the creative and cultural inspiration that defines its identity. "This central axis combines visual and material references that link architecture with culture and the creative community, reinforcing Nude Project's philosophy: 'By Artists, For Artists,'" says Eltini and Martín.

Those magnificent bookshelves aren't just for show, either. They're great for organisation and visual impact and were intended to invite exploration and deliver an immersive experience.

To optimise the 100 square meters available, the studio has structured the space across two levels. At the rear is a mezzanine for storage, creating an engaging interplay of heights because what's fun about a flat surface? According to Eltini and Martín, this architectural detail, addressing both functionality and aesthetics, intensifies the store's verticality and establishes the bookshelf as the protagonist element.

In contrast to the bookshelf area, the fitting rooms feature softer colours and finishes, including Nude Project's signature baby blue and rounded forms chosen to create a welcoming and balanced atmosphere.

'Nude Library' marks El Departamento's eighth retail project for Nude Project, joining existing spaces in Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Valencia, Ibiza, Bilbao, and Milan. But there's more! The studio and brand will continue collaborating with an upcoming opening in Amsterdam, where we can expect to see retail and culture converge once more.