The Manzoni is the new 100-cover restaurant has been created by Tom Dixon’s Design Research Studio. Its pre-opening is set to happen during Milan Design Week, revealing both a restaurant and a showroom. The main reason behind the opening of this new restaurant was due to the fact that Tom […]
More details have surfaced regarding the preview for this year’s Salone del Mobile. It seems this year the show will be honoring the work of Leonardo Da Vinci. Many brands have already adhered to echoing this Renaissance master’s ideas. This year’s edition will be celebrating DaVinci’s 500th anniversary of death. With that in […]
Dolce Gabbana is to embark on a global overhaul of its retail network, starting with the opening of a new experience space in Milan on September 24th, just in time for Fashion Week 2016.
Dolce & Gabbana said the move will marks the end of the “concept store philosophy,” in favour of a new formula where “experience and storytelling,” is the focus. It currently has 222 monobrand stores across 41 countries, some of which will change to the new format and some that will remain as they are.
SEE ALSO: Milan fashion week 2016 – full schedule of Spring / Summer fashion show
“The fashion system is going through an evolution. Many customers are travelling a lot, one day they are in London, another day in Milan… and if you have the same store in London, exactly like Milan, with the same clothes, it’s like déjà vu for the customer.”
“Customers want more than just goods — more than just clothes and accessories— and they long for experiences in different places, and a point of view,” he says, adding that the company’s new stores are a natural place to try new strategies that accommodate wider changes in the fashion industry.
The new Milan boutique – which stretches over 1,600 square metres — will open during Milan Fashion Week. Two floors are dedicated to its womenswear collections, accessories, fine jewellery and watches and one floor to its menswear. The space is designed to reflect the historical importance of the city and its Baroque surroundings.
SEE ALSO: Dolce & Gabbana and Smeg project – bespoke hand painted fridges
Dolce & Gabbana will also open further experience spaces in St Barts, London, Brussels, Monte Carlo, Venice, Beijing, Los Angeles and Dubai — each of which will be uniquely designed to reflect its location and local customers, as well as providing a different perspective of the brand to international clientele.
Italian fashion brand said they stopped opening new fashion boutiques around four years ago, after Domenico and Stefano decided to rethink the format of their stores. For the new experience spaces, the company has worked with five architectural firms, including Storage Associati, Steven Harris and Gwenaël Nicolas’ Curiosity.
Designing each space was a completely different experience for architect Gwenaël Nicolas, who was commissioned to create the new experience spaces in Milan and Toyko. Nicolas, who has also designed boutiques for Fendi, believes more and more brands will begin to reconsider their retail strategies in the future.
