This year, in the lead-up to our 15th birthday at StudioXAG, we’re catching up with clients, collaborators and friends in our industry –  some of the faces behind the boldest spaces and brand experiences in the world’s best shopping destinations.

Next up in the series, StudioXAG co-founder and creative director Gemma Ruse chats with ex-StudioXAGster, Tamara Elmallah, senior window designer at Louis Vuitton. We dive into how to create an impactful window display, explore some of her stops-you-in-your-tracks moments and discuss the future of luxury experience.

Favourite scent: Jasmine. And my perfume Prolégomènes by NOTES DE BAS DE PAJE. It was a lovely gift and it brings me some joy every morning.

Favourite taste: An English cup of tea.

Favourite texture: Crunchy. A crunchy chip.

Favourite sound: The sound of waves on a beach. It makes me feel quite calm. Or the pop of a champagne bottle.

Favourite colour: Sage green or a brighter green.

Gemma Ruse: It would be great if you could talk about how you got to where you are now. Tell me about your role and your career to date.

Tamara Elmallah: I studied Graphic Design at Kingston University. The course was very conceptual and the teachers were incredible, so the approach was quite fine art-y. We never really designed any kind of layout or traditional graphic design.

I found that I was drawn to making things with my hands. I’m very tactile and my projects often have a handmade element. We would play a lot with materials at Kingston, so I think that became my big focus.

After finishing an internship with a traditional graphic design agency, I started assisting on sets which felt much more right for me. We were building sets and objects, there was a lot more craft involved than graphic design. Then I remember finding StudioXAG’s work and being really excited.

Growing up in London, I remember sitting on the top deck of the 94 bus and pressing my face against the glass to see the Selfridges’ windows because they were always so amazing. When I found XAG, it was because of a Selfridges window. I think it was the Bright Young Things window…

Gemma Ruse: Yes, that was our first install there!

Tamara Elmallah: I loved that because I remember thinking this is exactly everything I love mixed together. Windows felt interesting to me because it was almost like a gallery piece or an installation, but in a really accessible context where anyone could see it and be inspired or intrigued.

That’s when I joined StudioXAG. It was my first real job actually. First I was an intern and then I joined full-time and stayed with you for four years. It’s such a creative studio, where I worked on projects such as the Y-3 Sport launch. I loved the strong connection between craft and concept. I’ve also always appreciated the uniquely familial aspect, in that many of you have been close friends for a significant amount of time. I always felt this gave a lot of soul, playfulness and personality to the projects, which is unique to XAG.

What was interesting at XAG was that we had the workshop downstairs. It was exciting to see how the sets were built and how we approached making and problem-solving with the workshop; you got an understanding of materials working with the actual makers.

Gemma Ruse: It’s something that’s so important to us. Making sure, as designers, we dream the dream and push the creative as far as we can, but also making sure that it is possible to realise, which does not always come across in every creative agency set up I feel.

Tamara Elmallah: Exactly. I remember you encouraged me to follow my instincts with research and building ideas. You once told me that you would like to see more variation from me and that’s something I still take with me now. When I’m coming up with ideas, I push myself to show as many different creative ideas as possible.

Gemma Ruse: Thank you! On a personal level it’s nice to feel I’ve had some sort of impact on the development of your talent and impressive career.

Tamara Elmallah: Following XAG, I was approached by a headhunter about a job in Paris at Christian Louboutin. I knew of the brand because XAG had created really fun windows with them. The visual identity director was a friend of yours, Sarah Boston. I remember going to my interview really excited. So I followed that opportunity to Paris.

I started as a window designer, but then it became very varied. The context would be a showroom, a huge exhibition, window rollouts, or humongous bespoke windows for China. That’s when I started to use more 3D modelling software with more advanced rendering.

We worked with Christian directly. He’s so creative and has so many references and artisans he’d like to work with, it was a fun four years there.

After that, I went to Bureau Betak. I’d always dreamed of working there because they specialise in fashion shows and that was something I’d never tried before. It was very different from everything else I’d done. It was more performance-based and I was amazed by their work.

Then I went to Louis Vuitton, which is where I’m now. I’m back to doing more windows, from high jewellery windows on Place Vendome to some of their huge windows for Champs Elysées.

Gemma Ruse: I’d love to know when you set out to design a window, what is your primary objective? Is it the same from window to window, or from brand to brand, or does it vary depending on the concept?

Tamara Elmallah: ​​I don’t think the process varies depending on the brand, but the brands have an identity, so certain materials will be right for one brand and absolutely not right for another. The purpose of the window is to communicate the story of the product or the collection and to evoke context and atmosphere around that.

You’re given the brief, but it’s always very visual for me. I usually have images or references in my mind that are triggered by the brief. It’s like a spider web or a domino effect. You think of an image and then you search for the image and that reminds you of another reference. I then gather everything by theme or perhaps materials and build out the mood boards.

The final result is usually an accumulation of elements that inspire me from a range of references. It could be an object, a specific shade of colour, the lighting from a show or the surprising way an exhibition used a material. It will usually be something quite abstract.

Gemma Ruse: Yes, that’s very evocative that you talk about a specific shade of colour or the way something is lit. It’s almost like you collect all these little nuggets from different things, put them into the melting pot of your brain and out pops something new!

Tamara Elmallah: Exactly. It’s weird how instinctive I find the process when creating the mood of a project. It’s very personal to each person.

Gemma Ruse: I agree. Give ten designers the same brief, you’re not going to get the same result from any of them.

You’ve touched on a few different types of projects that you’ve designed. Do you have a favourite type of project? Is it windows, events, experiences?

Tamara Elmallah: When I started at Louboutin and it became more varied, I felt extremely excited by the more spatial projects. We designed this huge exhibition in Paris, where we worked with experts and artisans in lots of fields. All those specialities combine together to impact your experience of a space and how you feel in that space, which is very different to a window.

With a window, you experience it from behind glass. You’re not interacting in the same way as you would in an exhibition, a show or even a showroom, where there are more opportunities to engage a visitor and affect how they feel in the space.

Gemma Ruse: In your eyes, what has been the most successful project you’ve worked on to date and why?

Tamara Elmallah: The project I am most proud of to date is the set design of the Gucci Twinsburg show in 2022, which was Alessandro Michele’s final show as Creative Director for Gucci in Milan.

It was during the period that I worked at Bureau Betak in Paris. The concept of the show was inspired by Michele’s mother and her identical twin sister, and his fascination with what made them both completely identical yet uniquely different. He created an entire collection in double, to be worn by 68 pairs of identical twin models, cast from all over the world. Walking into the casting room was so surreal – the sight of this many twins in one space surprised me to say the least.

They wanted there to be a moment of reveal during the show. At a break in the music and recited poetry, the huge central wall that divided the two identical spaces was lifted by mechanical pulleys to reveal the dual sets, audiences and the twin models, just before the finale. Then the 68 pairs of twin models came out holding hands, walking directly under the raised wall in a now vast space. The visual was so striking.

For me, it is the most memorable project I have worked on because of the performative aspect. When all the elements came together, it felt incredibly emotive; somehow a celebration of individuality and togetherness.

Gemma Ruse: That does sound quite spectacular. Moving on to the present, what’s the most inspiring or innovative project you’ve been working on lately that you could tell me a bit about?

Tamara Elmallah: At Louis Vuitton, we’re often seeking to elevate the windows at the Place Vendôme store, as it has a strong significance for luxury in Paris.

For a recent window, we used a sign painting company to paint typography directly onto the glass, instead of applying a vinyl sticker. It was fascinating to watch the technique and steadiness of the painter, how steady a hand they have. In another life, I think I would have loved to have pursued that as a career, geeking out on typography and getting a craft fix!

Gemma Ruse: Thinking back to your time at StudioXAG, I would love to know the favourite project that you worked on.

Tamara Elmallah: I loved working on the Adidas projects because they were quite minimal, quite my taste and edgy in a way. The one project that I really remember and loved was with the launch of Y-3 Sport. This was one of the first projects I led, from beginning to end. It was exciting to be trusted with a creative brief and aesthetically it was quite to my taste at the time. My favourite elements were all the asymmetrical metalwork pieces, crafted from thin steel with asymmetrical cutouts.

Gemma Ruse: Bringing it back to those multi-sensory experiences and spaces, it feels like that is where we are moving to as an industry, right?

Tamara Elmallah: I almost feel that has been driven more by Covid because people were hungry to experience a physical space. At one point, everyone was worried about online shopping becoming so successful and its impact on the high street. Every time I go back to England, I’m surprised by how many stores are no longer there. But if you think about luxury, it’s driven brands to create 360, immersive experiences.

Gemma Ruse: Definitely. It’s changed the purpose of a store in my eyes. You can do your shopping online, but the physical store becomes this destination for brand experience where you can shop, but it’s not necessarily as commercially driven.

As we’re celebrating 15 years of Studio XAG this year and thinking about how the industry has evolved, I’d love to get your perspective on what you think the future of retail or luxury brand experience will look like 15 years from now.

Tamara Elmallah: What I’ve noticed recently in luxury is that the price points have really increased, encouraging people, if they have the means, to invest more and move away from fast fashion. It’s quite interesting because it means that whilst people are investing more in the brand, the brands have to give more back in terms of experience. In retail, there will be more and more immersive, temporary spaces that really drive people to come and see a collection physically. I think there’ll be more experiences tailored to VICs where they’re specifically invited to an exclusive event or space. I think things are going to become more and more, in luxury at least, experiential.

Gemma Ruse: Lovely, thank you. They’re some really interesting insights. Where do you see room for sustainability gains in luxury retail or brand experience? Or do you?

Tamara Elmallah: That’s something that’s the worst outcome of our industry due to the temporariness of our installations. As a designer, I don’t always have complete knowledge about what happens to the windows or the show space after it’s completely ripped apart. I definitely think I should have more knowledge about it.

I think we should reduce the amount of projects, focus on fewer to create less waste overall and have more time to craft projects. That’s been the problem with fashion. When Covid happened it slowed things down, for example, there were less shows and less events. There was hope that it would slow down the industry for good, but now it feels like even in comparison to a few years ago, there are shows every few months. It feels like everyone’s always rushing to see and show new things, and that encourages so much waste.

Gemma Ruse: Yes, it’s funny hearing you talk about Covid because that feels so long ago and so abstract almost. That feeling of pause when there were no aeroplanes in the sky and now I feel busier than ever like I’m on a treadmill. I wonder if that’s a universal feeling.

Anyway, I’d love to know the last thing you saw or experienced that stopped you in your tracks?

Tamara Elmallah: It wasn’t actually very recent, but in 2019 I was in Japan on Teshima Island where there’s an art gallery. It was a white abstract space in the middle of a rice plantation and the architecture is modeled on a rain droplet, so it’s a very organic shape. It had random circular cutouts in the shell of the building where you could see the nature around you and feel the flow of air coming in. The space when you’re inside is humongous. It somehow felt quite intimate, but was actually quite large.

I remember walking into the space, it was quiet and all we could hear was the wind and the sounds of the trees moving. Everyone was sitting on the floor and staring at the ground. I noticed there was water pooling in certain spaces and that it was disappearing into these holes. That was an art installation. It was extremely peaceful, everyone was silent and observing the space. Somehow it felt very touching.

It was almost an interactive experience because you could play a little with water. It was just so simple that it completely surprised me.

Gemma Ruse:It sounds almost religious.

Tamara Elmallah: Yes. The thing about Japan is that it feels like a lot of the architecture and the spaces really play on the surroundings and everything’s so simple. They don’t try to do too much, they just borrow on the surroundings and what naturally exists rather than enforcing anything.

Gemma Ruse: Yeah, so amazing. I’d love to go back to Japan. Absolutely loved it there.

Gemma Ruse: So, to round up I wonder if there’s anything you could tell us about that we can look forward to seeing in the near future?

Tamara Elmallah: I’d been working on one window scheme for almost six months and it’s just installed at the end of May. It will be shown globally but the roll-out includes the Louis Vuitton windows on the Champs Elysées, which I remember seeing when I was 21, just starting out in my career after university. There was this giant golden dinosaur that passed through multiple of the enormous windows, and it completely stopped me in my tracks. It blew my mind that you could do that, be so ambitious with a window display. It felt like a piece of art to me. So it feels like a full circle moment to have now worked on those specific windows. These windows based on the origin of the brand – travel trunks and the vintage trunk stamps that adorned them, but made in 3D.

Gemma Ruse: Amazing. I hope they are what you envisaged them to be. That is a great full-circle moment.