Experience Matters: Burdifilek Cofounders on Need ‘to Be Brave’

Experience Matters: Burdifilek Cofounders on Need 'to Be Brave'
Constance Droganes
TORONTO — Like the one-of-a-kind retail spaces they design, Diego Burdi and Paul Filek always have a story to tell about a brand's true essence. That ability to reveal hidden potential through design has earned Burdifilek, the duo's award-winning Toronto firm, commissions from Canada's Holt Renfrew, Neiman Marcus, Atlanta's W Hotel, Dublin's Brown Thomas and other luxury retailers and businesses across North America, Europe and Asia for nearly 25 years. "We always go on a journey together with clients who partner with us. But it takes an orchestra of people to make ideas real and to build spaces that are filled with possibility and purpose," said Burdi, 52, who met business partner Filek, 50, in the early Nineties while they were both studying architecture at Toronto's Ryerson University. Their partnership has since resulted in 150 international awards for Burdifilek's cofounders, including January 2017 accolades from the International Interior Design Association for their design of Toronto's first flagship for upscale outerwear brand Mackage. And still today, even as digital's swaggering transformation of the retail industry continues, Burdi and Filek continue to look at retail through the lens of design. As they discussed with WWD, tomorrow's brick-and-mortar "destinations" can still deliver more authentic brand experiences thanks to smart

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