Step inside the greatest fashion stores around the world

London to Tokyo, Atlanta to Shanghai, we take you inside the best-designed fashion stores around the globe, whether art-filled boutiques, modernist monoliths, or renovated classics.

Inside the best global fashion stores

Jimmy Choo, Paris, France

A collaboration with Harry Nuriev’s Crosby Studios, Jimmy Choo’s new pop-up store in Paris is centred on the brand’s signature oyster-coloured shoe boxes. Located on Avenue Montaigne, the space also draws inspiration from a bank vault, housing limited-edition and collector’s items in a space designed to ‘turn the traditional notion of a luxury boutique on its head’. ‘I was inspired by shoe boxes and elevating the idea of the stock room, bringing the back of house to the storefront,’ says Nuriev. ’I love to transform and expose unusual items.’ Open until December 2023.

Comme des Garçons, Paris, France

Comme des Garçons has opened the doors to a gleaming new store on Paris’ Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. The four-storey space, intersected with sleek red and white walls, is designed to create an ‘explorative‘ experience, whereby items are waiting to be discovered amid a winding layout. Alongside classic Comme des Garçons lines – from Shirt to Homme Plus and Parfums – the store will also feature lines previously only available outside of Japan, as well as reissues of Rei Kawakubo’s influential Comme des Garçons furniture line. Read more here. 

Versace Home, Harrods, London, United Kingdom

‘Vibrant opulence’ is how Italian fashion house Versace describes its latest opening, a new space in London’s Harrods department store dedicated to its homeware line. Located on the third floor, the 160 sq m space mixes classical inspirations – columns, marble, nods to Greek culture – with the house’s sleek modernity. Furniture in the space, created and distributed by the Luxury Living Group, spans the ‘Zensational’ modular living room set, the ‘Medallion’ coffee table, and the ‘Goddess’ light fixture.

Bottega Veneta, Paris, France

Coinciding with the arrival of fashion week in the city – and following a standout S/S 2024 show at Milan Fashion Week – Matthieu Blazy reopens the Italian house’s Paris flagship on Avenue Montaigne this month (September 2023). It is the first designed completely under the creative direction of Blazy, promising a reflection of his collections in its combination of Italian craftsmanship with a uniquely modernist sensibility. Described by the house as ‘an imaginative journey through past, present, future, and beyond the world’, the 800 sq m space is largely constructed from two materials, glass – which is synonymous with Venice, close to Vicenza, Italy, where the house was founded – and Italian walnut wood. Glass-block panels (recalling those found in mid-century interiors) are embedded across floors and ceilings, while glass rails are hand-cast by Venetian craftspeople. Continuing the theme, glass handles on the front door are one-of-a-kind works by Venice-based Japanese glass artist Ritsue Mishima. The store will open with Blazy’s A/W 2023 collection, the third in his Italian trilogy, which was inspired by ‘the alchemy of the street’.

Extreme Cashmere, St Moritz, Switzerland

Amsterdam-based label Extreme Cashmere – known for its colourful and comprehensive all-cashmere wardrobe – has opened the doors to its first boutique, located in St Moritz, Switzerland. Created in collaboration with Apropos – The Concept Store, the Via Somplaz-located store features a number of washing machines, where customers can have their Extreme Cashmere products washed and cared for (garment care is ‘an integral part of the Extreme Cashmere DNA’, say the brand). Elsewhere, an uncomplicated interior includes sliding wooden cupboards to house the washing machines, a curtained fitting room, and wooden shelves to display a selection of the brand’s rainbow-coloured offering. Read more here.

Ulla Johnson, Los Angeles, United States

New York-based designer Ulla Johnson drafts West Coast design legend Kelly Wearstler – a former Wallpaper* guest editor – for its latest outpost in Los Angeles’ West Hollywood neighbourhood. The earthy, sun-lit space provides an echo of Johnson’s craft-infused designs – much of which is inspired by travel and the artisans she encounters around the world – here including furniture, art and objects from creative communities in California. Nods to nature also feature, with customers entering through a Japanese-style garden comprising native plants, while a tree grows inside the main interior shopping space. ‘The space embraces the natural world, timeless design from the 70s and 80s, and modern commissions from some of our favourite artists,’ explains Wearstler. ‘It was important that the architecture and interiors evoked Southern California, which couldn’t be a better setting for Ulla’s collection – I’m excited for her fans to experience it.’ 

Lanvin, New York, United States

Designed by Bernard Dubois Architects, Lanvin’s serene new store on New York’s Madison Avenue captures what the French house calls ‘the exuberance and chic of Lanvin’ today. Dubois’ recognisable neo-modernist design signature is found throughout the store, the Belgian architect drawing particularly on the art deco and neoclassical movements with sleek riffs on ornamental enfilades, columns and architraves alongside rich swathes of beige velvet. Furniture and fixtures are selected from both Lanvin’s historical archive of objects and Dubois’ own designs, while a private salon is dedicated to the house’s new ‘Edition Soir’ collection, which comprises evening and cocktail-wear. ‘A singular sophistication,’ describes Lanvin of the new concept, which will be rolled out around the world over the next year.

Stone Island, Munich, Germany

Located in Munich’s Old Town, the latest OMA/AMO-designed Stone Island store focuses on the brand’s longtime links with innovation and experimentation. A three-storey space, it continues the ‘redefinition’ of the brand’s retail stores which began in Chicago last year, featuring elements which nod towards Stone Island’s unique fabric-dyeing process – from screens showing working and factory processes to a mélange of textures, including burnt cork, sand-sprayed surfaces and Tyvek ceilings. Places for the Stone Island community to gather, like an amphitheatre in the basement for talks and presentations, also feature. ‘In a time when the digital becomes such a ubiquitous form of communication, we think that physical spaces where like-minded people meet are important,’ Samir Bantal, director of AMO tells Wallpaper*. ‘I want people to feel like they want to explore the store; that every part has something to discover, be it product, be it architecture, be it material.’ Read more here.

Dior, London, United Kingdom

Dior has opened the doors to a new boutique on London’s Sloane Street, featuring womenswear, high jewellery – and for the first time in the Knightsbridge location – menswear. The house’s criss-crossing cannage pattern features across the exterior and as a motif throughout the three-storey store, which draws on the architecture of the house’s flagship at 30 Avenue Montaigne in Paris. This means Versailles parquet, Toile de Jouy prints and a light, elegant palette of beige, cream and white. Artworks by British artists Victoria Morton, Peter Seal and Selma Parlour also feature, alongside furniture by Christophe Delcourt, Patricia Urquiola and VonneGut/Kraft. ‘An ode to refinement and the Dior dream,’ says the house. 

Supreme, Seoul, South Korea

Supreme’s new Seoul outpost marks the brand’s first flagship store in Asia, outside of Japan. Located in the city’s Gangnam District, the spacious interior centres around a supersized recreation of the brand’s A/W 2017 ‘cash paperweight’, a stack of 100-dollar bills encased in perspex. Other notable features include a hand-painted mural by Rita Ackerman, installations by Nate Lowman and Fuck This Life and speakers by Devon Turnbull, all longtime collaborators with the brand, which was founded in 1994 on New York’s Lafayette Street. 

Bottega Veneta, London, United Kingdom

Bottega Veneta reveals a new Sloane Street location which encapsulates Matthieu Blazy’s discreet but luxurious vision for the Italian house. The store’s palette and materials are inspired by the Veneto region in Italy – where in 1966 Bottega Veneta was founded – such as terrazzo flooring in bardiglio, carrara, verde alpi, and grigio carnico stones, made to reflect ‘the oscillation of waves’ in Venice where such flooring is ubiquitous. Thick walls and glass cabinets complete the intimate space, which is meant to evoke the feeling of stepping into a home.

Burberry, London, United Kingdom

Burberry continues its latest chapter under Daniel Lee with the opening of a new store on London’s New Bond Street. A stripped-back, minimal design with moments of colour from blue to beige, the focus is placed on the collection itself, which will feature Lee’s designs from September 2023 (his first collection was revealed last year). ‘The store showcases our beautifully crafted products in a luxury setting that connects our customers with our brand and unique heritage,’ says Jonathan Akeroyd, Burberry’s CEO of the 22,000 sq m store, which stretches across three stories. Read more here. 

Saint Laurent, Capri, Italy

Saint Laurent’s latest store arrives on the glamorous Italian island of Capri in time for summer, marking the second location designed with creative director Anthony Vaccarello’s ‘new architectural vision’ for the house’s retail spaces. Located on the bustling Via Camerelle and drawing inspiration from the Amalfi locale, the serene space features handmade stucco on the walls, floating marble displays and terrazzo floors (a flash of ocean blue comes from the colourful glass included in the latter). Another Saint Laurent space on the island – also on Via Camerelle – is renovated in a similarly stripped-back style, mixing wooden elements with accents of white and blue. Across the two stores, shoppers can find women’s and men’s collections, as well as accessories and shoes.

Acne Studios, Miami, United States

‘Tropical softness’ is how Acne Studios describes its latest store, open now in Miami’s design district. Imagined by Swedish design studio Halleroed – a longtime collaborator with the brand – the precise 200 sq m space is based on a modular system in polished aluminium with walls in white marmorino, a high-gloss white plaster, and contrasting black granite steps. British designer Max Lamb ones again provides furnishings (‘organic and irregular shapes’, reminiscent of the brand’s S/S 2023 collection) and Benoît Lalloz the lighting (curved light fixtures which first appeared in the brand’s rue Saint Honoré store in Paris, opened in 2022), having both been a key part of Acne Studios’ other recent store openings and renovations. Miami’s Art Deco history, meanwhile, is nodded to in mannequins created by artist Daniel Silver, capturing the city’s innate glamour in the brand’s typically idiosyncratic style.

Filippa K, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Filippa K has opened a new flagship store in Amsterdam, a reflection of a recent opening in Helsinki, which represented a new chapter in the Swedish brand’s retail offering. In fact, Filippa K call it a ‘continuation’ of the Finnish space, uniting once again with architectural practice Profan on a store which opposes the ‘raw and refined’ alongside references to nature. In Helsinki, Filippa K and the Profan team – made up of architects Disa Braunerhielm, Maximilian Olsson and Anton Bogå – looked towards cool Scandinavian skies for inspiration; in Amsterdam, the store is an icy blue, referencing ‘misty Nordic landscapes’ (in particular, those in northern Sweden, where the brand photographed a recent image campaign). The store – which features subtly distorted chrome rails, as if viewed through water – is the latest step in Liisa Kessler’s transformation of the brand, having been appointed as creative director in January 2022. 

Lemaire, Paris, France

Lemaire has opened its latest outpost in Paris’ Marais district, a serene 340 sq m space at 1 Rue Elzévir, a street named after a family of Dutch printers who worked in the city during the 16th century (the neighbourhood also houses the brand’s offices and a store devoted to accessories). Typical of the brand – which is helmed by Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran – it is a space of refined taste, the white-walled rooms enhanced by flourishes of decoration, from Moroccan Bejmat floor tiles and handwoven abaca mats to furniture by Italian modernist Enzo Mari. Artworks associated with the brand’s collections will also be displayed in the store; first, a small exhibition of works by Noviadi Angkasapura, a previous collaborator, will take place in May. ‘The new shop draws from wide-ranging expertise in line with our fundamental values and celebrates the functionality, practicality and flexibility embodied by Lemaire clothing,’ say the designers.

Khaite, New York, United States

Stepping into Khaite’s first global flagship, located on Soho’s desirable Mercer Street, is more akin to walking onto a film set or into a gallery space. The clothes and accessories are displayed with luxurious room to breathe on custom rails dusted with an edited offering (those who know to ask for additional styles kept out of sight, ask). The vast former garage – 4,000 sq feet of ground-floor and an additional 3,000-sq-foot office and back-of-house downstairs – was transformed by Khaite’s founder Cate Holstein and architect Griffin Frazen in just a year (the pair are married, which allows them to speak in shorthand). 

Inside, a dramatic shaft of ‘daylight’ runs the length of the store, cleverly programmed to reflect the time of day outside. The poured concrete and plaster interior is carved up with imposing Richard Serra-esque curved-iron partitions, while daylight floods in from two skylights at the back of the space, illuminating a real evergreen tree that will blossom seasonally. ‘We leaned into elemental qualities like natural light, preserving the scale and openness while creating intimate spaces,’ says Frazen. Every sense is considered; specific areas have been created so that if you stand in just the right spot you will hear a whispered secret message. Tilly Macalister-Smith

Alaïa, New York, United States

Following what was considered to be a highlight of January’s couture shows – whereby Alaïa’s creative director Pieter Mulier invited a handpicked audience of press to attend a viewing of the collection in his Antwerp home – Alaïa opens its first store in the US since the 1990s. Barely detectable tonal signage demarks its new Soho home (if you know, you know), which was designed by Sophie Hicks, also responsible for the brand’s boutiques in Tokyo and Shanghai. ‘New York has a very special significance for me’, says Mulier. ‘It’s the city of resilience. And resilience is the feeding ground for creativity. That’s why it is so important for Alaïa to be present, once again, in the heart of New York.’ Mulier curated the art and furniture on display, which will rotate with new items: to kick off, a host of American artists including two chairs by Donald Judd, whose foundation is just around the corner, with a series of 18 prints by Robert Rauschenberg, a Mike Kelley diptych, and a large scale work by Jonathan Horowitz. TMS

Bottega Veneta, Zurich, Switzerland

A new Bottega Veneta store opens this month (December 2022) in Zurich, Switzerland, marking the Italian house’s flagship store in the country. A reflection of Bottega Veneta’s roots in ‘craftsmanship, creativity and Italian design’, and the luxurious pragmatism of current creative director Matthieu Blazy, the 180 sq m space features custom seating by Cassina (drawing inspiration from Mario Bellini’s 932 modular sofas) and door handles reminiscent of those found on the house’s ‘Sardine’ handbag. The store – located in the heart of Zurich on Bahnhofstraße 25 – features mens- and womenswear, alongside a series of unique items.

66 North, London, United Kingdom

Icelandic heritage brand 66 North – known for its enveloping parkas and puffer jackets – has opened a new outpost on London’s Regent Street (the 3,500 sq ft space marks the first outside of Iceland and Denmark). Designed by Berlin-based architect Gonzalez Haase, the ‘experiential’ store features tactile walls clad in ‘rammed earth’, sculptures reminiscent of magma (a common appearance in Iceland), and a mesh lighting system with effects which mimic a ‘misty white sky’.  

’66 North was founded in 1926 to protect Icelandic fishermen from the challenges of the Arctic Circle. Ever since then, we’ve made quality products that withstand the elements, all in the name of promoting a life lived in harmony with nature,’ says 66 North CEO Helgi Oskarsson. ‘The best way to present the brand and tell its sustainability story is to showcase the quality and durability of the product in our own stores.’

Self-Portrait, London, United Kingdom

A new Self-Portrait store – located at the corner of Chelsea’s King’s Road and Duke of York Square in London – was designed by architect Andreas Kostopoulos, co-founder of MPNYC. Featuring mint-green tones throughout for a ‘soothing yet distinctive atmosphere’, the store also includes natural oxide pigments, stainless steel elements (brushed, honed or highly polished) and plenty of mirrors. ‘Riffing on the Self-Portrait as a thematic focus, the design emphasises reflective surfaces while abstracting all other architectural components into a singular background layer, with uniformly pigmented Cornish clay walls and terrazzo floors,’ says Kostopoulos. ‘By leveraging minimalism, materiality, and colour, we wanted to create a more self-centred experience, filtering out the visually distracting architectural qualities and functions that typically overwhelm retail environments.’

Candamill, New York, United States

New York-based Candamill, known for its architectural handbags, has opened a playful concept store at 277 Mott Street, Manhattan. An ’immersive art installation’ made to celebrate two single handbags, the space comprises a simulated landscape through organic elements and light and sound design. Conceived to be viewed at street level (or by limited appointment), it serves ‘as a conversation piece spotlighting the brick-and-mortar retail store’s purpose in the fashion industry today’. Indeed, instead of the usual means of purchasing products, QR codes direct would-be shopper’s to Candamill’s website. PRK

Dolce & Gabbana Holiday Market, London, United Kingdom

From this month (November 2022), Dolce & Gabbana celebrate the arrival of the festive season with a special pop up in London’s Covent Garden. Featuring the colours and symbols of Sicily – the Italian island which has become synonymous with the house – the special ‘holiday market’ features unique items made in collaboration with Italian heritage brands Fiasconaro, Pastificio Di Martino, Donnafugata and Baci Perugina (presented here on Sicilian cart decorations). Shoppers will also be able to purchase items from the Dolce & Gabbana Casa collection, alongside an array of accessories, shoes and clothing from the house’s recent ready-to-wear collections. Until January 15 2023. 

Cubitts, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

British eyewear brand Cubitts – the ‘modern spectacle maker’ is known for its vintage-tinged handmade frames – arrives in Edinburgh this month, opening two new addresses in the Scottish city’s Old and New Town (the stores take Cubitts total in the UK to 15). Typically elegant interiors – wood-lined, with traditional apothecary-style shelving and modernist details – house the brand’s collections, including two new exclusive frames at each of the stores. ‘We have the best of both worlds,’ says Tom Broughton, the founder of Cubitts. ‘Services in the New Town, spectacles in the Old Town, in two distinct but equally remarkable buildings, each with a rich history.’

AlphaTauri, London, United Kingdom

Salzburg-based label AlphaTauri – an offshoot of the Red Bull-owned Formula One racing team of the same name – has opened its first UK store in London’s Knightsbridge neighbourhood. Designed by Berlin, Vienna and LA-based Studio Riebenbauer, the interior’s sleek, brushed metal surfaces, interactive digital elements and complex installations (inspired by its knitwear and parkas) reflect the brand’s innovation-based approach to clothing, while a deconstructed AlphaTauri racing car erected on the wall provides a dramatic focal point. ‘The opening of our first international flagship store in London is another important milestone towards our global recognition,’ CEO Ahmet Mercan tells Wallpaper. ‘With the store design, we wanted to transmit our brand identity. It’s a well thought out combination of digital, innovative and interactive elements, to allow visitors to explore our world of design, premium materials and textile innovations.’

Toteme, New York, United States

Toteme co-founders Karl Lindman and Elin Kling cement their foothold in the United States with the brand’s New York flagship, located on SoHo’s cobbled Mercer Street. The duo called on their longtime collaborators, Swedish architects Halleroed, to help design the 3300-square-foot space. Colourful furniture – like a Josef Frank sofa for Svenskt Tenn in vibrant flora and fauna print – contrasts the otherwise minimal interior, while works by Marc Newson, Elizabeth Payton and Cony Meier are dotted around the art-filled space. Custom-made lighting designed by Christian Halleröd takes inspiration from legendary Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund – a nod to Toteme’s own Scandinavian roots. TMS

A|X Armani Exchange, London, United Kingdom

Following openings in Milan, Amsterdam and Berlin, this month A|X Armani Exchange celebrates the arrival of its third store in London, located on Regent Street. Housed in the historic 19th-century Westmorland House, the store retains the building’s dramatic neoclassical corner facade, while the 290-square-metre interior across two levels has a sleek, fluid design – oak-effect slats for walls, pale stone-effect floors and a contrasting ceiling in black – which reflects A|X Armani Exchange’s contemporary collections. Imagined by Giorgio Armani alongside a team of architects, the new London store reflects the brand’s other new-generation spaces, including a desire to keep environmental effects to a minimum – from materials, finishes and lighting to retaining internal structures. As such, all metal and glass elements are removable, reusable and recyclable, while lights uses innovative LED technology designed to minimise energy consumption. 

Courrèges, New York, United States

Courrèges’ latest store, which opened in New York to coincide with the city’s fashion week, marks the French house’s return to the United States (in its 1970s heyday, Courrèges had stores in Los Angeles and New York). Featuring a distinct design by Belgian architect Bernard Dubois, the Soho space (104 Grand Street) is rendered in gleaming white, with smooth geometric fixtures reminiscent of both house founder André Courrèges’ futurist fixations and current creative director Nicolas Di Felice’s knack for angular cool. The back room is made to evoke a ‘rave ambience’ – Di Felice has noted his love of techno while growing up in Belgium, and recently hosted a Courrèges rave on the outskirts of Paris – with a mirrored ceiling and ‘club-grade’ spotlights.

Ant/Dote, Atlanta, United States

Founded by Lauren Amos (of store Wish ATL) and fashion journalist Eugene Rabkin, Ant/Dote is a new multi-brand retailer in Atlanta, Georgia stocking an array of international avant garde-leaning labels, among them Comme des Garçons, Junya Watanabe, Noir by Kei Ninomiya, Paco Rabanne, Y/Project, Craig Green and more. (The head buyer is Karlo Steel, who co-founded seminal New York menswear retailer Atelier New York; Ant/Dote will be the exclusive Atlanta retailer for several of the labels.) Located in the West Midtown neighbourhood, Ant/Dote resides in a converted art deco building, originally used as a Kodak laboratory for classified government projects during the 1950s. Working with Chris Benfield of Benfield Partners on the store’s design – Benfield has previously created stores for Rick Owens, Dior and Balenciaga – shoppers are greeted with a sleek monochromatic facade, applied over the building’s original red brick, and ‘conceptual garden vitrines’ created by WrinkleMX studio. Inside, hand-poured terrazzo floors and plaster walls provide a blank backdrop for the various garments’ distinct silhouettes, while a monolithic cash desk provides the centrepiece of the space. More fluid lines are found on the cave-like lower level, housing the store’s accessories offering and VIP lounge. 

Marni, Shanghai, China

In Shanghai, London-based studios The Wilson Brothers and Brinkworth continue a partnership with Marni which began with a redesign of the Italian brand’s Milan store. It is part of creative director Francesco Risso’s desire to ‘radically reimagine contemporary retail stores’; as such, the design centres on ‘a vessel for creativity’, a space within the store designed to inspire ‘community, creativity and culture’. In Milan, it took the form of a studio enclosed in a stack of cars and caravans, in Shanghai, a ‘rock-like sculpture’ has been created, ready to ‘welcome a rotation of artists-in-residence’ (the first will be Shanghai-based Nathan Zhou, who has created a series of colourful paintings which adorn the interior). ‘I admire Francesco’s ambition to create spaces for artistic endeavour,’ says Adam Brinkworth, founder of Brinkworth, of the collaboration. ‘For me, this places Marni as a patron of the arts.’

Celine, London, United Kingdom

‘Disarming and seductive,’ writes Dal Chodha of Celine’s New Bond Street store, a sleek portal into creative director Hedi Slimane’s singular vision for the French house. Housed in a Grade II-listed Edwardian building, the sculptural space features swathes of stone, granite, marble, reclaimed oak, concrete, polished stainless steel and brass, populated by furniture and artworks selected by Slimane. The result is a melding of brutalism and French luxury – a juxtaposition which lies at the heart of Slimane’s conception for Celine. Read more here.

Alaïa, Paris, France

Renovated according to designs by Marc Newson, Alaïa’s reopened 5 Rue de Moussy store –  just next door to the house’s atelier in Paris’ Marais district – provides a ‘restored and revived’ space to showcase Pieter Mulier’s collections (the Belgium designer began his tenure in 2021, the first creative director since Azzedine Alaïa’s death in 2017). Described as ‘a space dedicated to beauty’, art, fashion and high design intermingle in the store’s rooms; a portrait of the late designer greets visitors upon entry, while works by Ron Arad, Julian Schnabel and Newson are found throughout an otherwise minimal design. ‘The space that shaped the history of Azzedine Alaïa is once again a place for exchanges, encounters and discoveries,’ say the house of the store, which marks a new chapter in Mulier’s vision for Alaïa – one still infused with the inimitable creative spirit of the house’s namesake. 

maison-alaia.com

Loewe, Barcelona, Spain

Promising ‘luxury, intimacy, and culture’, the redesigned Casa Loewe on Barcelona’s Paseo de Gracia distils creative director Jonathan Anderson’s vision for the Spanish house, which centres on a deep-rooted commitment to craft, art and design. As such, the space – first designed by Catalan Modernist Lluís Domènech i Montaner – sees Loewe’s collections interspersed with commissioned installations by artists such as Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, whose bamboo sculpture will provide a centrepiece to the store, and Catalan artist Aurèlia Muñoz, who has created a large-scale hanging sculpture in macramé (other contemporary artists in the space include Haegue Yang, Richard Tuttle, Zizipho Poswa and Takayuki Sakiyama). Elsewhere, a breathtaking array of historical works will also feature, adding to Loewe’s ever-expanding collection – notably, a series of eight ceramics by Pablo Picasso. The luxurious fittings also ally with this idea of craft and hand-feel, from maple-wood counters, warm concrete floors, and vivid pillars and tiles – in shades designed to be reminiscent of the Mediterranean Sea – created by 1880-founded Catalan ceramic factory Ceràmica Cumella.

loewe.com

Theory, London, United Kingdom

Theory’s new London flagship marks a milestone for the American label – rather than a typical standalone space, it is instead situated inside a vast new Uniqlo store found on the city’s Regent Street (together, the two stores number 1,900 sq m). London-based architecture studio

Sybarite created Theory’s ground-floor space, a sleek, minimal design in camel, beige and caramel which the brand says captures its essence, one of ‘modernity, balance, and openness’. Shoppers are encouraged to purchase simple layers – ‘constantly uncovered as the customer navigates around and through the environment’ – from a sharp edit of foundational pieces from the brand’s men's and women’s collections. Alongside the comprehensive offering from Uniqlo, the two stores combine to create a unique and contemporary take on the traditional department store.

theory.com

Gentle Monster, Shanghai, China

A robot surveys shoppers as they enter Gentle Monster's latest boutique in Shanghai – an expansive multidisciplinary five-storey space in the city's Huangpu District – which celebrates the optical brand's innovative and technologically-led approach to retail design. Gentle Haus also welcomes a host of other labels into its location: surrealist dessert brand Nuddake on its ground floor and the first Chinese flagship boutique of South Korean beauty brand Tamburins on its fourth. It took a year to develop the robotic face that sits on the 3rd floor of Gentle Haus, created by the brand's Robotics lab, as part of an exhibition space that will host roving shows and pop-up events.

gentlemonster.com

Balenciaga, London, United Kingdom

Stroll past Balenciaga's 772 sq m boutique on Sloane Street in London and you'd be forgiven for thinking the space was in a state of non-completion. In fact, the untreated textures, cracked and stained poured concrete flooring and blackened stairwells are synonymous with the French maison's latest 'Raw' architectural retail concept, one which revels in industrial flourishes and exposed fittings and the drama of the dilapidated. Here, electrical wires, air ducts and support beams are exposed and an unfinished elevator core even takes centre stage in the store. We suggest you walk past the boutique again.

balenciaga.com

Bally, London, United Kingdom

A magnificent, column-lined facade on the corner of Regent Street in Central London beckons design-led shoppers into Bally’s new 400 sq m flagship boutique. An evolution of the Swiss brand’s experiential multi-functional retail environments, first launched in Milan’s Montenapoleone boutique in 2019, the space is centralised on visual contrasts, juxtaposing marble with terracotta, and alludes to the UK's capital city's topographical and architectural history. Conceived in collaboration with Seen Displays, a London-based creative design and production agency, the store also boasts pieces designed by materiality-focused designer and maker James Shaw, on a series of strata-focused naturalistic plinths and fixtures, crafted using rammed earth, in a nod to the foundational clay of London’s architecture. 

bally.co.uk

Rinascente, Rome, Italy

Designers Frederik De Wachter and Alberto Artesani of Milanese practice DWA have created a new interior for the fourth floor of Rinascente in Rome’s Piazza Fiume. This is the first step of an ambitious redesign of the iconic building originally conceived in 1961 by Franco Albini and Franca Helg, carried out by architect Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli’s Studio 2050 and due to be completed in 2023, while the 4th floor womenswear department by DWA is the first to open, in summer 2021. The colour palette is based on imposing shades of brick red on the ceiling and mint green on the display elements made of tubular sheets. ‘We tried to find a balance between the identity of our design codes and the importance of using the space of the original project,’ say the designers. ‘It is a design made of contrasts, distributed on almost imperceptible levels.’ Writer: Rosa Bertoli

rinascente.it 

John Lobb, Beverly Hills, USA

The founder of heritage British bootmaker John Lobb famously walked from Cornwall to London in 1851 to fulfil his footwear dreams, and now the label has taken its own recent saunter around the globe. The brand is opening a series of boutiques, from Paris to Beverly Hills, designed by French architecture studio ciguë, which has also worked on retail spaces for Vejas, Patcharavipa and Aesop. These interior spaces nod to a science fiction spaceship, accented with matte metal and deep walnut wood, and feature fixtures inspired by the Uruguayan artist Gonzalo Fonesca. For lucky luxury shoppers in LA, John Lobb's Californian boutique has also been wrapped in a facade evoking the exposed brick work of the brand's Nottingham factory. It brings a touch of artisanal Britain to Beverly Hills.

johnlobb.com

Brioni, London, UK

London-based architecture and interior design company P. Joseph had classical inclinations when considering the design of Brioni's London flagship boutique, which encompasses ready-to-wear, footwear and accessories, and a suite for bespoke tailoring. The Bruton Street space in London's Mayfair is inspired by the residence of a Roman man, and its sleek interior marries marble with tuff stone and travertine and mid-century Italian furniture and tapestries from the Fifties and Sixties. There's a serene sense to the space, which denotes a series of luxurious living rooms, as delectable for the contemporary shopper as the classical one.

brioni.com

Acne Studios, Stockholm, Sweden

There's a classical sense of splendour behind Acne Studios' Stockholm boutique. The former bank in the brand's home city, has been stripped back to its essential design, reducing layers of recent renovation in celebration of the building's original neoclassical colonnades. Acne Studios worked with Barcelona-based Arquitectura-G on the interior overhaul of the space, who also designed the label's industrial store in Nagoya, Japan. In a play on duality, real and faux marble are presented together, alongside original and new custom colonnades. Organic slab-like marble furntiture, created by London-based designer Max Lamb, is illuminated by grid-like spotlights, created by French designer and light artist Benoit Lalloz. Lamb and Lalloz also created pieces for Acne Studios' Stockholm headquarters, which opened in November 2019.

acnestudios.comarquitectura-g.com

Maison Margiela, London, UK

Seeking out some architectural retail splendour to spark a serotonin surge on your daily walk? Should you stroll around London's Mayfair, we recommend walking past Maison Margiela's Bruton Street flagship, which has been aesthetically overhauled by Dutch architects Studio Anne Holtrop. The design of the 190 sq m space has been influenced by the textural marking of clothing, and interior elements like columns and walls have been imprinted with the fingerprints of fabric. Creative director of the brand John Galliano was also inspired by the concept of getting dressed in haste, an ideal he holds integral to its aesthetic, and pillars appear dented or curved, as if in motion. For now, we'll be satisfied peering through the windows of the store, and taking in its pared-back and tactility-focused design. When lockdown lifts, we'll be dropping in in person too.

maisonmargiela.com

Dolce & Gabbana, Puerto Banús, Spain

An ode to modernist Catalan architecture, the label’s Puerto Banús boutique, in Nueva Andalucía, also offers up a tribute to the ocean. Rustic blue ceramic walls, soft furnishings created from natural rope and a floor created using trencadís – a broken mosaic technique formed from shards of glass, all evoke maritime escape, while floor to ceiling windows reveal a resplendent real time harbour view. On the first floor, a terrace houses Dolce and Gabbana’s Martini Bar – a space synonymous with the brand’s retail vision. Imagine shopping the label's latest Siciliy-inspired wonders, before taking in the Spanish sunset upstairs, sipping on something served with a twist.

dolcegabbana.com

Loewe, Soho, New York

Picture settling into this cornflower blue Cassina 637 Utrecht armchair and surveying the art that populates Loewe’s first Manhattan space on Greene Street. In a nod to its other gallery-inspired outposts in cities including London and Tokyo, the oak, Campaspero limestone and concrete-clad space boasts a roster of pieces from the Madrid house’s covetable collection. These include three tapestries depicting photo realist scenes, created by Limoges-based master weavers in France, and conceived originally for the set design of Loewe's S/S 2020 show, and a figurative hand-painted screen by South African artist Lisa Brice. Top marks for spotting a tea bowl by the Japanese ceramicist Takuro Kuwata and 2018 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize finalist, who creative director Jonathan Anderson collaborated with for the brand's recent A/W 2020 womenswear show, on a series of sea anemone-like bag adornments and knobbly breastplates.

loewe.com

Homme Plissé Issey Miyake, Tokyo, Japan

For his 17th store design for Issey Miyake, Tokyo-based designer Tokujin Yoshioka was inspired by the concept of monozukuri no gemba, or ‘making things.’ The raw concrete walls of the 225sq m space house not just the label’s prismatic Homme Plissé and limited-edition COLOR collections, but also a functional pleating machine. This nods the history of Miyake’s renowned and shrouded in secrecy pleating technology. Here, two Issey Miyake engineers pleat garments – originally cut 1.5 times larger than their final size – live. The Minami-Aoyamal-located street the space is housed on is a Miyake mecca – also playing host to its Issey Miyake mainline, Pleats Please and HaaT to Reality Lab Issey Miyake stores.

isseymiyake.com

Prada, Design District, Miami, US

Peek through the white vertical blades that are clustered over Prada's Miami boutique's large windows, and you’ll find a sleek, chequer mosaic-clad treasure trove, dedicated to mid-century Brazilian design. The space – spanning two floors and 650 sq m – is populated with furniture pieces by Joaquim Tenreiro, Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Jorge Zalszupin, José Zanine Caldas and Sérgio Rodrigues. Take a highly-coveted seat and take in the eye-catching walls of the space, which are clad in sea green bas-relief panels, featuring various 3D floral designs from the brand’s ready-to-wear collections.

prada.com

Fendi, Sloane Street, London

We were such fans of the brand’s 70s-centric Dimorestudio-designed Sloane Street outpost, that we awarded its seductive VIP room our ‘Best Personal Space’ gong in 2018’s Wallpaper Design Awards. The retro revivalist space nods to the designs of Paul Evans, Pierre Paulin and Gae Aulenti, and pairs contemporary with vintage furniture classics, like armchairs from the 1800s and an ‘Artona’ series dining table by Afra and Tobia Scarpa. We’ve also got a real soft spot for the boutique’s staircase, which is lined with snuggly double height mohair and velvet walls.

fendi.com

Bottega Veneta, Miami Design District, US

Imagine ascending the central dusty pink plaster spiral staircase inside the first boutique designed by creative director Daniel Lee. The calm-inducing light-filled space revels in the interplay of materials, including brass, plywood, leather, resin and reclaimed wood (Lee also favours mixed media in his accessory designs too). Fixtures in bright pops of colour, in blue, orange and green and terrazzo flooring in an array of Verde Guatemala, Bianco di Carrara, Verde Alpi and Nero Marquina marble tones bring bold juxtaposition to stark white shelving and fixtures. 

bottegaveneta.com

The Row, Mayfair, London

Less retail space, more serene gallery haven, the Annabelle Selldorf-designed boutique in Mayfair’s Carlos Place is brimming with art and design treasures. Wonder at ‘Jai Signh’s Sky’, a James Turrell light piece at the entrance of the store, descend the brand’s majestic arts and crafts wooden staircase and take in pieces by John Chamberlain and Isamu Noguchi across the brand’s two floors. The boutique reflects The Row’s other calm-inducing boutiques in LA and New York, and is populated with furniture pieces sourced from Galerie Jacques Lacoste, Galerie Patrick Seguin, Galerie 54 and Oscar Graf, which, like its men’s and womenswear, are also available to buy.

therow.com