Shanghai, China, 2016-Jul-13 — /EPR Retail News/ — Fashion is an experience in intimacy. The relationship between garment and the body creates a personal narrative informed by texture and color, contrast and complement. Garments toy with perception –who we are, who we will be –realized in the way we dress. The new Prada boutique at Plaza 66 in Shanghai, comprising three levels of luxurious salons, embraces the intimate customer experience.
In pursuit of this intensely personal experience, the entirety of the long-established Prada store has been reimagined. The external façade, overlooking Shanxi Road to the right of the Plaza 66 entrance, pays homage to Franco-Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez*. The effect is at once playful and majestic: a striking kinetic art piece that appears to move with the viewer. Inside, a black marble façade unifies the three tiers of the store. Large windows reveal the interior, providing passers-by with a glimpse of the luxurious ambience: velvet, marble, Perspex, glass. Here Prada reconsiders the domestic environment in a retail setting, inviting visitors into a space where comfort is paramount.
The Prada boutique at Plaza 66 is one of the most important touch-points for the Prada brand. The intense design, detailing, and materiality reflect Prada’s century long commitment to craftsmanship and luxury since Mario Prada founded his first shop in Milan in 1913. That this emerging retail typology of highly crafted intimacy finds its fullest expression in Shanghai is an index both of the importance that the brand places on its Chinese customers and the growing sophistication of the luxury consumer. Prada’s focus continues, as it always has, on customer service and the experience,surprise and delight possible in an intimate retail environment.
*PRADA PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE ART OF CARLOS CRUZ-DIEZ
Prada wishes to express its admiration for French-Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez, one of the leaders of the kinetic art movement, an innovative form of dynamic expression with a strong visual impact. Having always greatly appreciated Carlos Cruz-Diez and his contribution to this artistic genre, Prada wishes to publicly pay homage to his artwork, which served as a starting point for the design of the façade of the Prada boutique located in Shanghai, Plaza 66.
The Rooms
Enter the first level into the main room: the space is framed by Prada’s signature round-edged windows, the floor glistens with black and white chequered tiles. The original Milan Galleria store is reflected in tall vitrines and beamed ceilings in the familiar Prada“Encausto Verde”. The three retail floors are linked by an elegant staircase featuring narrow vertical bands of green and white marble, engaging with a modern retelling of renaissance materials and designs. Green marble doorways and thresholds lead in a series of dedicated salons. Each salon’s ceiling is unique, different heights and shapes individualize the experience, each new room a journey.
The Red Salon
The red salon pays tribute to China with walls of floral jacquard and velvet-lined niches for luxury leather goods and the most precious articles. The salon is small, drawing visitors to engage in a unique moment with each piece.
The Green Salon
The green salon engages with the Prada green in an intimate space: deep green panelling and green marbleshelves display women’s leather goods and small leather articles.
The Circular Salon
The circular salon draws intimacy from its shape.New green velvet Osvaldo Borsani chairs and sofas –exclusive edition for Prada -draw visitors to sit and enjoy the space. Green marble surrounds the footwear display niches, complemented by scored-metal back panels, reflecting light back into the space.
Level 2
The second level embodies the intimacy of the store, a space at once feminine and private. A space with a secret. The black and white floor of the salons downstairs is reprised in large carpets of different shapes, incorporating softness into the rooms. The walls are a textural adventure, lined with different patterns of green-shaded velvet in silk and mohair.The first room is dedicated to the clothing collections, as well as select leather goods and the Made-to-Order service. The central room –a sitting area with more Borsani chairs and a large geometric rug –highlights footwear. The connecting corridors contain videos and special products in marble display cases and at the end a small oval room. Lined with velvet curtains and featuring mustard yellow velvet seating in the middle, this VIP chamber is a spatial embodiment of femininity and softness, complemented by smooth, curving lines.
Level 3
The final level holds the men’s collections. Beamed ceilings and black and white floors recall the lower levels. Grey Encausto walls, Bardigliomarble shelving, green lounges and accessories all contribute to the masculine look of the space, which contains menswear, leather goods, and travel collections. The footwear room features a red velvet seating suite, a seductive contrast to the other cool tones. In the clothing collection rooms, wood and velvet seating completes the furnishing, while narrow ebony floorboards sit under colourful geometric carpets. Paired with the air force-blue velvet walls, the room is playful in its intimacy, inviting guests to touch, to sit, and to engage with the pieces around them.
For further information:
Prada Press Office
Ph. +39.02.541921
e-mail: ufficio.stampa@prada.com
Source: Prada Group