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Amir Fayo, founder of 69 Group, marries the brand's architecture and art direction to create retail and hospitality concepts rooted in culture and connection. Fayo, best known for running the Egyptian store Maison69 and his Villa Baboushka, breaks the mold and creates immersive store experiences that resonate on an emotional level with consumers. It all starts with not thinking of yourself as a retailer.
“I don't know how to do retail. Retail is structured. Retail is data. Retail is numbers…I work with people, how they feel, what excites them, what excites them. “It's about getting people interested in it,” he says.
In this week's BoF Podcast, BoF Founder and Editor-in-Chief Imran Amed sits down with Fayo to discuss his innovative approach to retail.
Key insights:
- Fayo, who was born in Wales and raised in Egypt, says his architectural style is heavily influenced by his multicultural upbringing. “Egypt gave me my heart, England gave me my creativity and America gave me my thought process.”
- There are three pillars to how Fayo approaches projects. The first is to create an environment in which people can form emotional memories. The second is to create a sense of social intimacy. Finally, he remains focused on the idea of improving the everyday. “I want to level up. [mundane moments] It’s about being something that people remember and want to come back to,” Fayo explains.
- When designing a retail space, the idea of the home is at the forefront. “When I started defining that code, I said, where is the space where there is no right or wrong? That should be home,” Fayo says. “We design homes because homes should be welcoming. Homes should create a sense of belonging. Homes should create easy connections.”
