Worth is a Canadian boutique retailer focused on the principles of haute couture, where each client's individual tastes are highly valued. Worth is not concerned with trends. Instead, it offers a curated collection of wares for men and women who seek to express their unique and individual styles.
The Look
French Baroque injected with hip, urban influence. Noted Calgary-based architect, Walker McKinley from McKinley Burkart collaborated with Carl Abad and Rollout to create the design of the store. "Together we came up with a store that looks like an art piece," says Abad. Past and present eras are brought together, transporting the shopper into a realm of supreme chic. Imagine a black ceiling with octagon, smoked mirrors, a replica 17th Century Baroque chair finished in black lacquer and vinyl crocodile, a life size alabaster white reindeer, and grey and black damask wallpaper surrounding the shop. The look of Worth revisits a period of time that inclines eclectic life, combining emotion, memory and fantasy.
The Client
Carl Abad, Style Scout and owner and visionary of Worth, one of Canada's first lifestyle shops specializing in "the next big thing" in art, fashion and design tailored for an individual instead of the masses. Abad is well known in fashion circles from Calgary to Chelsea. While living in the UK, he was an assistant for the Terri Tanaka Agency, working under leading UK stylist Tassos. His assisting and styling work appeared in British Vogue, The Face and Wonderland. Worth is the result of Abad's obsession with fashion and design and his desire to introduce Canadians to a diverse mix of international design.
The Wallpaper
Worth Paper mashes together punk rock, granny, and brothel themes into a beautifully eerie statement on voyeurism and vanity. From a distance, the decorative filigree draws the viewer into the gaze of a wall filled with x-ray human skulls. These "mirror mirrors" reflect the impending decay that will one day wither our beauty and strip away our youth once and for all. Its ominous call challenges us to live, work and party hard.
Worth was collaboratively designed by Carl Abad, Brad Ralph from iStock, and Rollout for Worth Clothing, a high-end boutique, and subtly intertwines elements of its logo and brand to create an unmistakably unique retail experience.
A cream on white version of Worth was made for the fitting rooms.
