Project Info.
On Running Emporium
Project Address:
Melbourne CBD
Project Country:
Australia
Project Year:
2024
Project Type:
Commercial Project
Project Scope:
Lighting design, supply & install
A store born from Swiss engineering and Melbourne's landscape — and the lighting that had to match both.
When Swiss performance brand On opened the doors of its first Australian flagship at Emporium Melbourne in October 2024, it marked more than just a new retail address. It was the brand's 42nd store globally — and its first foothold in Oceania — arriving in a city it had chosen deliberately. Melbourne's running culture, its blend of urban grit and natural ease, its appetite for considered design: all of it aligned with what On stands for.
Where Lucretia Comes In
Lucretia was engaged to develop and deliver the lighting design: a scope that needed to be equally intentional. In a space this considered, lighting could not be an afterthought. It had to complete the picture.
In a retail environment built on contrast — raw textures against polished surfaces, urban references alongside performance innovation — the lighting needed to honour every material and work invisibly across all of them.
The challenge with a space like On's Emporium store is that it already has a strong visual identity before a single fitting goes in. The architecture does a lot of the work. Lucretia's role was not to add drama on top of that — it was to serve it. To make the metallic shelving gleam precisely. To give the footwear the kind of accent light that makes every colourway readable and desirable. To ensure the ambient glow across the floor felt clean, even, and welcoming at any time of day. And to do all of this while keeping the ceiling read as uncluttered as the brand itself.
That required a layered approach, combining three distinct lighting systems — each doing a different job — that together produce a seamless result.
Adjustable, directional, and fully repositionable. These are the workhorses of retail lighting — allowing the team to target product zones precisely, create accent moments across shelving grids, and adapt the scheme as merchandising evolves over time.
Integrated along key architectural lines to deliver uniform ambient illumination — filling the space with an even base layer of light that prevents the directional spots from creating harsh contrast zones on the floor and mid-level surfaces.
The signature element of the scheme. A seamless backlit ceiling panel delivers a clean, diffused overhead glow that eliminates visible fittings from the ceiling plane entirely — giving the space a purity that matches On's design language.
Of the three systems, the stretch ceiling demanded the most careful coordination. Backlit stretch membranes are a powerful tool in retail — they replace a cluttered ceiling of fittings and structure with a single plane of glowing light — but their success depends entirely on the uniformity of what sits behind them. Uneven light sources behind the membrane read as patches and hot spots on the surface, undermining the clean effect entirely.
Lucretia supplied and installed the full stretch ceiling system, integrating the backlighting sources at spacing and intensity calibrated to produce a consistent, uninterrupted glow across the panel. The result is a ceiling that recedes from attention — which, in a space where the product is meant to be the hero, is exactly what it should do.
Good retail lighting is never just functional. At On's Melbourne flagship, the lighting scheme had to communicate the same things the store's architecture communicates: precision, clarity, a sense of ease that doesn't sacrifice performance. The track spotlights deliver the accuracy of Swiss engineering — hitting each product exactly where it needs to be hit. The linear ambience provides the welcoming openness that Melbourne's community-focused running culture demands. And the stretch ceiling ties it all together with the kind of quiet confidence that defines the On brand at its best.
From concept through to installation, Lucretia worked as a fully integrated part of the project team, ensuring the lighting design kept pace with the fit-out and was delivered to the standard the flagship required. The outcome is a store where the light, like the shoes, does its best work by getting out of its own way.
Looking to enhance the visual impact of your development or commercial project? Lucretia specialises in architectural façade lighting design that brings buildings to life after dark. From concept development to technical delivery, our team creates tailored lighting solutions that balance aesthetics, functionality, and long-term performance. Contact Lucretia today to discuss how we can bring your architectural vision to life.
