A multi-dimensional design discussion with Sybarite about the new Xydrobe Cinema in Harrods

A first-of-its-kind experience has just landed at Harrods in Knightsbridge. Take the Egyptian Escalator to the fifth floor, turn left and you will find yourself in the new Xydrobe Cinema – an astounding space that allows brands to create totally immersive experiences for their customers in a way that's never been possible before through both real life experiences and 4D storytelling. 

A collaboration between Harrods and Xydrobe (a new wave company that works with luxury brands to create immersive, virtual experiences for luxury brands including Manolo Blahnik and Dr Barbara Sturm), the design concept of this new suite of rooms has been masterminded by architectural studio and Walpole member Sybarite. Founded by architects Torquil McIntosh and Simon Mitchell back in 2002, the firm has made a name for itself crafting some of the most notable luxury retail destinations in the world, including the gargantuan SKP Chengdu high-end mall complex that opened in China in 2022, as well as the new Theory store in London, Ferarri stores across Italy and further projects in India and the Middle East.

The first brand to take-over the Xydrobe Cinema is Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin, in celebration of its year-long 175th anniversary celebrations. Divided into three sections – arrival, immersion and decompression – the guest is taken on a journey starting with an exhibition in the 50msq lounge, before being taken through to the bespoke, multisensory screening room. Here, guests are invited to sit down on a padded bench in the cocoon-like space and don one of the special Varjo VR headsets. The visuals of the film are brought to life by fully controllable wind and temperature, immersive surround sound and scents.

For Vacheron Constantin's experience, created by the team at Xydrobe and entitled The Exceptional Voyage, guests progress through an unfolding across a series of worlds from within the depths of the Harrods store, exploring the masterful craft of the watchmaker's artistry in minute detail through a selection of mesmerising surreal landscapes. The virtual world has never felt so real.

"Luxury storytelling and immersive hybrid retail is at the heart of Sybarite," says Simon Mitchell, Co-Founder of Sybarite. "The Exceptional Voyage is a key moment in retail strategy. Together [with Harrods and Xydrobe], we conceived this one-of-a-kind proposal for the VR cinema design to heighten and connect the senses and to create the ultimate platform for the multi-dimensional sensory journey that takes you to the brink of imagination."

Here, we speak to Mitchell in more depth about how this collaboration came about, what it says about Sybarite's own brand values, and why these experiences are the future of luxury retail.

Scroll down below the interview to see more images of the space inside Harrods in our gallery.

Simon Mitchell, Co-Founder, Sybarite (photo by Dylan Thomas, courtesy of Sybarite)

Walpole: How did this collaboration come about?

Simon Mitchell: The relationship between Sybarite and Xydrobe came about organically when our Communications Director, Jodi Feder, met the CMO of Xydrobe, Michael Pegrum. Immediately, it was quite clear that Sybrite and Xydrobe spoke the same language around luxury retail experiences and the future of those, citing SKP-S department stores in Beijing, Xi’an and Chengdu and their ‘experience per square metre’ concepts for next generation retail, as well as the importance of transportation, discovery and the sense of ‘otherworldliness’ to deliver true escapism in retail.

The mutual understanding was further explored through the relationship that then developed between Xydrobe’s CEO Nell Lloyd-Malcolm and myself. Time was spent working on how the Xydrobe single pod could be expanded upon in the context of a department store and thus derived at the ‘multi’. Having worked with department stores for decades, this was immediately front of mind, as well as how Xydrobe could find a home in the department store setting and how its presence would be a resonating example of retail strategy that was wired with foresight. Being able to communicate this experience to a wider audience in an exclusive and personalised architectural space was the natural collaborative aim.  

Initial concept sketch of the Xydrobe Cinema at Harrods by Simon Mitchell (courtesy of Sybarite)

What values does Sybarite share with Harrods and Xydrobe?

The maverick spirit and a passion for the retail experience has always driven Sybarite. Together with Xydrobe we share in the importance of innovation, entrepreneurship, luxury storytelling, blending boundaries in the arts, in retail, between physical and digital, the elasticity of retail, the importance of bravery to create new blueprints.

Harrods is an enduring icon in the department store landscape, and we are very fortunate to have worked with them before the Xydrobe experience, so it was an immediate choice. The idea of Harrods hosting something so future-facing within all that 175 years of history would be a notable counterpoint. Harrods is the embodiment of high-end luxury and the perfect showcase for the Xydrobe multi-person experience to be realised in collaboration with brands that sit underneath its roof.

Our role as architects was to communicate the design codes of Xydrobe that constitute their brand identity, which have the integrity and endurance to continue to deliver and elevate those brand stories. The architectural experience must possess a purity and be synonymous with what Xydrobe represents.

What was your inspiration for the space?

I would say the original Xydrobe single pod. We took its circular design codes and continued them as part of the multi-person experience, which purposefully shared in the origins of Xydrobe and at the same time demonstrated meaningful evolution. The space always needed to be immersive – after all, it is a transitory space – and so the materials and colours were kept to a minimum. It needed to be a breakaway moment from the main retail space.

What’s your highlight of the design?

The highlight is that it is a first in a department store for this luxury retail storytelling experience, made possible through a collaborative process. The multi-person Xydrobe Cinema brings together the physical and digital with integrity, longevity and as a benchmark piece of retail strategy for luxury.

As an avid follower of retail brands and department stores, it nice to see this as a key moment where two legacy brands: Harrods and Vacheron Constantin bring a sense of newness that is playful and brave and which touch and appeal to a wide ranging demographic.

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