Buster + Punch goes digital with global omni channel experience: The House of Buster + Punch
The home fashion label is winning over consumers with a new immersive digital townhouse—an omni channel campaign encompassing real-life talents, including rappers, dancers and social media influencers
Kieron is a freelance writer and Digital Consultant who doesn't consider himself a design lover but a user of design - which to him is more than enough.
LinkedinPost-pandemic, the design industry has seen an increased demand for omni channel retail, as consumers crave new, fast and smooth-running retail experiences across channels.
Leading the charge is home fashion label Buster + Punch, whose latest campaign is centred around amplifying the physical, human and digital design elements of its brick-and-mortar store.
Described by the Founder and Creative Director, Massimo Buster Minale as an ‘animated doll house on robot legs’, inside you can expect to discover a seamless shopping experience inhabited by real-life talents, including rappers, pop stars, dancers and social media influencers.
The stylised townhouse, which exudes the Buster + Punch’s industrial style and distinct edgy aesthetic, channels the brand’s subculture influences into reality. Inside each room, we meet creative talents whose performances, energy and micro stories lay the foundation for Buster + Punch’s merchandise to play its role.
“In an age where interior brands still live off a two-dimensional pack shot of a product against a greige backdrop, House of Buster + Punch’s shots of vibrant colour, movement and its throbbing soundtrack are a refreshing attack on the senses,” says Minale.
“The House of Buster + Punch is a bold, energetic concept that takes in original music, film, animation and pop culture references to pull the viewer into an immersive digital experience where entire room settings can be shopped at a click,” he continues.
“The inhabitants of the House of Buster + Punch are hybrid mannequins, real life vs. avatar forms,” says Minale.
“Each one plays out a micro narrative in their specific rooms but also travel through the house to interact with other tenants.”
“There’s not been a specific ‘theme’ for each space, more of a collective attitude and energy that we wanted to run through the home as a whole. A metaphor for how we view our collections – that they charge a space or a home, building or project with a sense of drama that can be the foundation for an interior.”
Together, these talents exist in a world defined by the Buster + Punch aesthetic, which can be categorised by three looks: Cross, Linear and Cast. “Each look has its own set of influences and aesthetic attributes to help you create the perfect interior styling,” explains Minale.
“Cross is industrial, made from a solid metal bar with a cross knurling created using a diamond-tip CNC lathe and features a solid metal coin screw detail.”
“Linear has an elegant, long knurl that runs along its slimmed down solid metal bar and has a tapered torx screw detail. Finally, Cast is an architectural design where roughcast elements meet a smooth, hand-polished solid metal bar and is capped with solid metal spun screws.”
Beyond the immersive online experience, the concept will evolve into real-life experiences in the physical House of Buster + Punch in London.
The concept was designed to springboard the launch of new products throughout the year, including the brand’s new kitchen, bathroom, taps, lighting, hardware, electricity, and home accessories.
It also integrates with a new web platform and extends into its social media and other digital channels.
The common thread that binds every part of The House of Buster + Punch universe is the constant call to subcultures, which has always been a founding value of the brand, the means by which its creations connect with those who buy them, drawing them into a unique dimension.
It underlines the ethos of the provocative London home fashion label, that it’s the theatre of design, with experiences that go beyond a product.
It’s entertainment and inspiration, featuring young tastemakers to cater to an audience that’s increasingly making buying decisions before pieces even hit a store.
“House of Buster + Punch gives a glimpse into the future of interiors and retail, with an emphasis on performance and raw entertainment,” says Minale.
“It is us connecting our audience with the brand, products and talents we’ve selected to work with, in a deeper way than they would at a trade show or in a store.”
“We want to give interiors the same energy and heightened production values as a conceptual fashion show or music video, to ultimately create excitement and debate in a sleeping interiors industry.
It’s a wake-up call.”
The House of Buster + Punch campaign launched with a film earlier this year and will continue to evolve.
As for now, the initial campaign launch brings with it over 50 new pieces including Buster + Punch’s new look Cast, which includes a new bathroom collection and body care range, plus new hardware, cast from molten metal – meaning each piece is totally unique.
“It’s opened up more with SoMe shorts and content, plus curated playlists on Spotify and, if the stars align and we can find the right mesh of variables, we’d love to bring it to life in a physical sense if the right venue and context were to arise,” explains Minale.
“And, as we add new collections or micro-drops the house will expand to accommodate them – a digital renovation.”
The House of Buster + Punch can be accessed here.
