In
February
Wieden + Kennedy London pitched and won a
project to design the Concept Store windows for Selfridges’ 100th anniversary.
The brief was “What will Selfridges be selling in 2109?” It was a great chance
to do some non-traditional creative work and satisfying to know that we beat
some top designers and artists to win the project.

The
outcome was the ‘Future A-Z 2109’, which officially launches on July 3^rd. We wanted to come up with something that
reflected Selfridges, the ultimate pleasure palace, in the future. The idea
allowed us to show a collective view of the future with a series of 26 ‘crazy
sensible’ future products, created by W+K. Thoughts range from the stupidly clever Airbag Cycle
Helmets through to the darker dimension of Designer Organs. (This concept was endorsed
by Vivienne Westwood.) Here
are some shots of the installation.

The
A-Z along Orchard Street.

A is for Airbag Helmet. Instantly inflates on
impact providing 360 degree protection for any cyclist. Do not wear in bed.

A passer-by admiring the window.

As of all this wasn't enough, we
have come up with a competition where we are asking you, the blog-reading public to complete
our A-Z, since the letter X is missing. Can you think of what product the letter X could
represent in 2109? Download the template from the Selfridges website and take a look at the teaser film.

The
winning IDEA X will be made and exhibited in the window, along with the other
25 letters, from Saturday 8 August until the end of the month. The winner will
also receive a £500 Selfridges gift card. Judges
include Dr Frances Corner – Professor of Art and Design Education at the London
College of Fashion, Patrick Burgoyne – Editor of Creative Review and Linda
Hewson – Selfridges head of creative.

A special thanks to the team at ATOM for all their support and
exceptional model-making.

So, we’re into our fourth week since the briefs for PLATFORM went live and we’re starting to receive submissions.
We’ve been sent lots of questions from around the world – which hopefully we’ve answered fully for you.
We’ve also had some feedback from a few people saying that the briefs are pretty tough and that they are a little scared to enter as they don’t think they’ll be good enough to get in!
Well please scrap that notion from your minds, this opportunity is open to everyone.
The whole concept of PLATFORM is about embracing diversity, seeking out that hybrid talent who have curious, challenging minds.
People who don’t necessarily fit neatly into any one box.
The ones who’ve not decided what they want to be and are up for the challenge of working this out with other like-minded strangers.
You DO NOT NEED TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ADVERTISING or have had any previous experience in it.
EVERYONE IS WELCOME AT PLATFORM so send us your submission now – you have two weeks left to prove you’ve got what it takes.
Have a go, you have nothing to lose.
The Platform team.
x