Apple's new approach to retail has landed in Italy. The first iteration of its community concept store has revitalised a piazza in the centre of Milan.
Located just off the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, a high-traffic pedestrian street in the heart of the city, Apple Piazza Liberty opens up a new glass fountain that serves as the entrance to the store and a backdrop to the large outdoor amphitheatre. The piazza, clad in Beola Grigia (an oft-used stone in Milan) is open to the public day and night, and will host events year-round.
‘To work within one of Italy’s historic piazzas is both a great responsibility and wonderful challenge,’ Jony Ive, Apple’s chief design officer explains. ‘We combined two fundamental elements of the Italian piazza — water and stone — adding a glass portal that creates a multi-sensory experience as visitors enter the store through a cascading fountain that seems to envelop them.’
Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s senior vice president of retail, likens the project to the many ‘modern-day gathering places’ Apple has pioneered around the globe. The Milanese opening comes hot on the heels of Apple Store Macau, designed by Foster + Partners, which also combines a public outdoor square with innovative retail space, designed to improve the experience of people exploring the area, not just for buying the Apple products stocked inside.
The Milanese launch is of particular import to Ahrendts, with its ‘rich history of art, entertainment and creativity.’ It's a city well-matched to Apple's commitment to learning, creativity and connection. Apple Piazza Liberty, with its focus on community cultivation, will provide a local backdrop the the Today at Apple programme, which offers free hourly sessions on photography, filmmaking, music, coding, design. This September, the new Apple Piazza will host a special month-long Milan Series, where 21 local artists will share their visions for the creative future of Milan.
INFORMATION
Apple Piazza Liberty opens Thursday 26 July at 5pm, and Today at Apple registration is available now here
-
‘We created our own island’: a new exhibition sees discrete Belgian fashion label Jan-Jan Van Essche step into the spotlightDal Chodha travels to Belgium to meet Jan-Jan Van Essche, the subject of a new exhibition at Antwerp’s MoMu that sheds light on the under-the-radar designer, whose eponymous label marries subtle, discrete elegance with extraordinary fabrications
-
Breaking bread: British designer Jasper Morrison creates a small but mighty bakery in MallorcaCan Pa is a charming neighbourhood bakery that blends tradition, innovation, and community impact
-
'There were many radical nuns': Andrea Modica's photographs document 1980s all-girls Catholic schools in BrooklynAndrea Modica’s ‘Catholic Girls’ looks back to her own childhood
-
Year in review: top 10 gadgets and tech of 2024, as chosen by technology editor Jonathan BellThe very best of 2024’s gadget and technology launches and stories, from emerging AI to retro gaming, laser projectors and musician’s side projects
-
Apple’s new Mac mini is a pocket-sized powerhouse thanks to the M4 processorWith the new Mac mini, Apple has squeezed its M4 and M4 Pro processors into the smallest conceivable footprint, physically and environmentally. Apple insiders tell us how
-
Apple’s Alan Dye and Molly Anderson discuss the design of Apple Watch Series 10In addition to the Apple Watch Series 10, Apple has also introduced a new black titanium finish for the premium Apple Watch Ultra 2; here’s what’s new
-
Nothing explodes its mid-range masterpiece to create the Nothing Phone (2a) PlusWe get our hands on the new Nothing Phone (2a) Plus, an upgraded and enhanced smartphone that promises a better photographic experience, smarter software and more
-
Watch Steve Jobs give a keynote at the 1983 International Design Conference in AspenThe latest publication from The Steve Jobs Archive captures Apple’s co-founder giving a typically iconoclastic performance to a 1980s audience of design
-
The new Beats Pill: exclusive interview with Apple’s Oliver SchusserOliver Schusser, an Apple Vice-President, is in town to talk Pills, thrills and heartaches. We sat down to explore the Beats portable music strategy
-
Radio alarm clocks round-up: wake up to these clever bedside companionsOur selection of the best new radio alarm clocks, from smart speakers to compact DAB boxes and more
-
CMF by Nothing launches its first phone, and an update of its talented smartwatchThe new CMF Phone 1 is joined by next-generation versions of its CMF Buds Pro 2 and the excellent CMF Watch Pro 2
