Last year when Edikted, the online-first fashion brand, decided to build out the first IRL store in SoHo, Pliskin Architecture and the Factory NYC had the fantastic opportunity to bring their 90’s pop aesthetics to life. The result was so successful that TFNYC was asked to bring back the heat for two more stores this year.
TFNYC sent a team to Mall of America (literally the biggest mall in the country) and The Grove (you know the one) in LA. That brings us to a total of three cross-country flagship stores:
- Soho Edikted in New York, NY, opened November 2023
- The Grove Edikted in Los Angeles, CA, opened May 2024
- Mall of America Edikted in Bloomington, MN, opened June 2024
After fabricating multiple elements, such as a bubble mirror, pink bubble tables, and a heart-shaped sign, The Factory NYC’s Andi Virgin and Dalton Burns shared their experience of bringing together this multi-state fabrication rollout.
Interview with Andi Virgin, Project Manager and Dalton Burns, Fabrication Lead at TFNYC
Q: Did we learn any new processes and techniques from this project?
Andi: Yes, absolutely. Our team that worked on this project last year learned so much. This year's goal was to improve the final product and increase our efficiency. It was all in the details. Drew (our Production Supervisor) found that a certain primer will sand better and save time. I learned that some of the fittings and hardware used to create the poles and the structure were a better fit and made the installation easier. We're excited. Should we build it again, we have so much more knowledge under our belt. It looked great in the end.
Dalton: Yes, it was my first big project at The Factory, I learned a lot and the team did as well. We gained a lot of insight.
Q: There are a lot of different parts to this project, could you describe their fabrication process?
Andi: The bubble table was made of stacked MDF squares. Then we sculpted HDU foam using our CNC router to create the curvature that wraps around each layer. Next we primed, sanded, and painted several layers to create the plastic aesthetic. I mean, it's just so well done. The guys did such a great job.
We also made a hanging heart made out of HDU foam. It's carved to look like a balloon and the guys, again, did such a great job. We found a way to use an interference violet paint to make an iridescent look. That was a new technique, and it turned out great. The client loved it.
We built a reflective bubble wall (video below) for selfies. For this, we used a series of various-sided spheres mounted to a wall to look like blown bubbles.
Then we made a fixture/furniture (also pictured below) using spheres and capsules that look like pills. The pills are made with the same process. The 12-inch spheres are also primed, painted, and stacked on top of each other and threaded into a series of vertical poles with horizontal railings in between for clothing.
Dalton: Yeah, for that process, we took manufactured steel balls and drilled out a pattern of holes for the poles. This served as a jig to space them out equally. It also allowed them to lock into each other on the frame. That was pretty cool. We use a similar process for the pink furniture as well, so they could slide over vertical and horizontal poles.
Q: What was a challenge you encountered during the build process?
Andi: The finishing. It's the amount of detail and time that we take to sculpt this foam by hand to make it look perfect, it takes a lot of time. Then there’s the painting of the many layers.
Q: How do you efficiently work with your team at the shop with large-scale projects such as this one?
Dalton: It took a lot of support from people on the team, Drew, and just the shop staff in general. It also helped to have a great team member like Calan with me for the majority of the project. He always knew where we were along the way and if we needed to split up, he could help get other people caught up.
Q: How did you ensure the client's vision and inspiration came across as part of the build?
Andi: Lots of calls, emails, and photos. Lots of them. You just always have to be in constant communication with the client. Sending back and forth the renderings, everything we had from the drafting team, to ensure that we were building it how they wanted it.
Finished Photo/Video courtesy of Edikted, Renée Ash, Desiree Preciado. Photo and video of the fabrication process by The Factory NYC.
