Marni has opened a new flagship store in Milan. The new point of sale is located on Via Montenapoleone, in the heart of the high-end shopping district of Quadrilatero della Moda. With the opening, Marni inaugurated a new store design in which the interior design creates space for “discovery, fun and culture,” as the Italian company wrote in a statement last week.
The design was created by creative director Francesco Risso and an in-house architecture team. Marni describes the new flagship as “a creative hub where fashion design, interior design and creativity merge”.
A fully carpeted floor contrasts starkly with mirrored walls and ceilings. The strong blue color of the floor and the reflective surfaces create an unusual contrast. Curved, silver-colored rods on which the collections are presented and black leather armchairs complete the interior design, accessories are presented in glass cases and on gray plinths.
In the center of the store is a “Creativity Tank” that spans the three levels of the store. The area does not serve as a sales area, but is temporarily offered to up-and-coming artists as a studio. With the new concept, Marni plans to “redefine the luxury shopping experience and strengthen the brand as a creative playground for a dialogue with art”.
Marni implemented this dialogue with art directly at the opening of the store: shortly after the doors of the store were opened, a contemporary art installation by the Icelandic artist Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir was exhibited in the store on the occasion of the Salone del Mobile design fair taking place in Milan. The installation featured colorful creations of human and synthetic hair, with which the artist represented Iceland at the 2019 Venice Biennale.