Kendall Latham
If You Build It, Will They Come?
Join us on April 18th at 5:30 PM at the Seattle Public Library for a talk with Kendall Latham, Director of Retail Design at Glossier. Latham’s innovative approach to blending architecture with immersive retail experiences pushes the boundaries of how people interact with spaces. In his lecture If You Build It, Will They Come? Latham will tackle the concept of "immersive design” and familiar examples of successful experiential spaces. Truly immersive design can be found across a wide array of environments, unified by the dynamic interaction between people and place. Latham will explore the interactions between history, anthropology, and retail design, demonstrating how human behavior has shaped these spaces throughout time. From Disney World to McDonald’s, every scale of space can teach us how to design retail environments that resonate deeply with consumers. Latham aims to deepen our understanding of immersive design, positing it as a form of designed anthropology that reflects how spaces shape our cultural and personal narratives.
ABOUT KENDALL
Latham is a multidisciplinary designer who has worked on retail spaces, large civic projects, interactive installations and events, including fashion shows for legendary brands like Calvin Klein, Dior, and Raf Simons. As Director of Retail Design for Glossier, he shapes the online brand’s real-world experience. His notable projects include Glossier’s permanent retail destinations in Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, and around the world. As Latham continues to conceptualize and develop stores, he does so with a dedication to shifting the paradigm of traditional retail to new, uncharted territory. He believes in creating destinations informed by place and inspired by people; experiences that are unique to their location and community. He draws inspiration from the city itself, such as putting a life-like canyon inside the LA store and bringing the Seattle pop-up and permanent store to life with a living meadow and mushroom motif inside. Glossier stores have become travel destinations, and Latham has played a key role in these original and innovative experiences.
