Dezeen has teamed up with Bentley Motors to run a global design competition that challenges architects and designers to define the future of luxury retail.
The Dezeen x Bentley: Future Luxury Retail Design Competition is free to enter for anyone over the age of 18 of any profession and from any country around the world.
The contest is open for entries until 7 July 2023. It features total prize money of £30,000 and a top prize of £15,000.
Full details of how to enter the competition can be found in the competition brief and rules.
The Future Luxury Retail Design Competition is a partnership between Dezeen and Bentley, a brand synonymous with luxury motoring but which is increasingly applying the craftsmanship and technical innovation its cars are known for to home furnishings, interiors and even architecture with its Bentley Residences.
Contest challenges designers to reimagine the future of luxury retail
Through the competition, Dezeen and Bentley will explore the momentous changes currently taking place in the luxury industry and seek to discover forward-thinking ideas for both digital and physical luxury retail experiences of the future, in and out of the automotive world.
"We believe in creating a holistic luxury lifestyle for all of our customers. For over 100 years, we've been pushing boundaries and constantly innovating," the brand said. "It's this bold, change-making attitude that allows us to step out of the car and into all other aspects of your life."
"The expert craftsmanship we pursue within our residences is born out of a desire to create seamless, ultra-modern living spaces," Bentley continued.
Contestants are tasked with creating innovative ideas for what luxury retail could look like in 2030 and beyond.
They are free to imagine any experience they like – real-world, digital, or a hybrid – for any luxury sector: architecture, audio, automotive, fashion, furniture, hospitality, interiors, real estate, speciality travel, wellness or any other luxury product or service that Bentley could expand into in the future.
Competition marks moment of significant change in the luxury industries
The competition takes place at a time when both the automotive and luxury industries are undergoing a period of profound transformation.
Car brands are electrifying their product lines en masse, moving away from the previously ubiquitous internal combustion engine for the first time in over a century.
Simultaneously, manufacturers are rethinking the traditional car dealership model, which has been the bedrock of automotive retail for generations.
Other luxury industries are also facing unprecedented change. Increasingly, brands are seeking to diversify their product and service portfolios to reach new customers while redefining the role of their brick-and-mortar stores as those customers increasingly shop online.
At the same time, they are experimenting with pioneering new digital technologies such as Web3, virtual reality and augmented reality, which are blurring the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds.
All the while, the very notion of "luxury" is shifting, with high-end consumers changing their priorities and behaviours as they look to make more sustainable lifestyle choices.
Bentley too is transforming. The brand has committed to electrifying its entire vehicle lineup by 2030 while it simultaneously ventures into other contemporary luxury lifestyle sectors, including furniture and interior design with its Bentley Home range of furnishings.
With the first Bentley Residence set to complete in Miami in 2026, the brand is also entering the world of architecture and real estate for the first time.
It is against this backdrop that Dezeen and Bentley have teamed up to invite architects and designers to define the future of luxury retail.
Entries will be judged against four criteria
Dezeen and Bentley are seeking original and innovative ideas for the competition. Entries will be judged against four key criteria:
Experience: Provide customers with a rich, fulfilling and innovative luxury retail experience
Customisation: Provide a bespoke and personalised experience for customers
Sustainability: Reduce and ideally eliminate any negative impact on the environment
Brand alignment: Draw from the rich heritage of Bentley's craftsmanship and technological innovation
Entries will be judged by an expert judging panel, which will be announced on Dezeen in the coming weeks.
Competition closes for entries on 7 July
The Future Luxury Retail Design Competition closes for entries at midnight on 7 July 2023.
Three finalists will be announced and published on Dezeen in August 2023. Of these finalists, a winner will be selected, as well as a runner-up and third place.
The winner will win the top prize of £15,000, while the runner-up will receive £10,000 and the third-placed entrant will receive £5,000.
For more information about how to enter, including the full brief and rules, visit https://www.dezeen.com/bentley-future-luxury-retail-design-competition.
Partnership content
The Future Luxury Retail Design Competition is a partnership between Dezeen and Bentley. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.