Ion Ander Beloki is a London-based Spanish designer who has found a professional dream come true in window design. These bear his unmistakable conceptual signature, which he most often supports with only one color used. He runs his shop window editing studio in London, Ja! Studio.
City Magazine: You were born in Spain and live in London. Are you planning to settle here or is London just a stopover before your next destination?
Ion Ander Beloki: London still seems to me to be a city that keeps you awake, connected and constantly stimulating. So, for now, my intention is to stay here while traveling between the British capital and Spain at the same time. This constant work and living in different parts gives me the opportunity to see different interesting things and meet different people. This enriches my work and also directly affects it.
City Magazine: For the past 10 years, you have been designing a monthly window display for the Spanish brand Loreak Mendian. Which one is your favorite?
Ion Ander Beloki: One of my favorites is “Logo”.
Your shop windows are very refined and conceptual. To feel your background in graphic design and sculpture. Do you ever distance yourself from this approach?
Ion Ander Beloki: Never.
City Magazine: Why are your storefronts monochromatic rather than monochromatic?
Ion Ander Beloki: Because that's how they emphasize the composition and the idea behind the creation.
City Magazine: Favorite color?
Ion Ander Beloki: Navy blue.
You can also see Ion's works in the gallery.
City Magazine: Which is more difficult: designing a storefront with little money or no financial constraints?
Ion Ander Beloki: In both cases it is difficult, or rather not easy! A high budget makes things easier in terms of providing good materials, technology if needed, which we could not afford on a limited budget. However, it is mainly about creativity, which is not related to money, it is more about good ideas and the way you realize them, regardless of your financial capabilities.
City Magazine: What is a good window display for you?
Ion Ander Beloki: A display that attracts the attention of passers-by and is constantly, every month, in a phase of improvement.
City Magazine: Who would you like to work for?
Ion Ander Beloki: I would not defend working with the Hermès Group.
City Magazine: Do the showrooms in the world's fashion capitals, in London, Paris, NYC, Tokyo, Milan, have a different character?
Ion Ander Beloki: Of course. Each capital has its own architecture and character, and this all affects the way the storefronts are designed (let's leave out the superbrands). New York acts as a world exhibition, in Tokyo everyone wants to be present, and London is struggling under excessive rules.
City Magazine: What role do light and color play in your work?
Ion Ander Beloki: Light is the most important aspect of the arrangement of the shop window. With a good use of lighting, you can emphasize colors, texture and create different dialogues and atmospheres. The colors used are usually related to the product, sometimes I use colorful installations to emphasize the colors of the spring/summer season. With them, I want to capture the mood and colors of the season and cheer people up after a depressing winter.
City Magazine: What was the maximum amount of time you spent on arranging the shop window?
Ion Ander Beloki: For my third shop window for Loreak Mendian, I spent 15 hours a piece stretching hundreds of elastics from the window to the other end of the shop window. It was absolutely crazy but satisfying at the same time and worth it in the end.
City Magazine: Is there room for humor in window design?
Ion Ander Beloki: Absolutely! Humor is a universal language. It is a good way to communicate with passers-by, from whom you get good feedback.
City Magazine: Is the purpose of a good exhibition a provocation or something else?
Ion Ander Beloki: A good display should above all surprise the audience, be noticed. It is about creating a dialogue between the store and the consumer month after month.
