Florence, 2017-Jun-21 — /EPR Retail News/ — Stella McCartney opens her first store in Florence on Via dei Tosinghi 52r within the city’s historic center a stone throw away from the famous Basilica di Santa Maria Novella. The brand’s 3rd location in Italy, the Florence store follows in the new design concept introduced at the opening of the Paris Rue Saint Honoré location last month. Two additional stores in the US with the new concept roll out will follow by mid July: South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California, and a second store in New York City at 929 Madison Avenue. This recent retail expansion continues on the brand’s official takeover of their store operations in Hong Kong last summer which included 3 freestanding store locations. The new store designs will reflect the brand’s commitment to sustainability within an intimate, personal and architectural atmosphere.
The new store concept draws inspiration from Stella’s personal archive of images with designs that bring a textural human-scale experience to a retail environment. A considered effort has been made to move away from traditional luxury materials, and to use more handmade, organic and sustainably sourced elements. Bespoke fluted ceramic tiles, reclaimed timber and textural cast concrete intertwine with fun surprises in the designer’s signature paired back colour palette.
Contained within 200 square meters over two floors, the new store is fronted by five tall street facing windows that bring in a significant amount of natural light into the raw yet polished space. The interior is defined by a central spiral staircase covered in Fur Free Fur; epitomizing the designer’s stance on cruelty free fashion. An intricate brass rail system connects various product categories of the store and creates a journey throughout the space. The muted backdrop becomes a canvas to showcase the modern and sophisticated women’s and men’s ready-to-wear and accessories including the iconic Falabella bag and the Sneak-Elyse, a new version of the popular Elyse platform shoe, as well as lingerie, swim, kid’s collections and fragrance.
The new Florence freestanding location follows the already existing Milan store at via Santo Spirito 3 and the Rome location at Via Borgognona 6. Additional distribution in Italy includes a shop-in-shop at La Rinascente in Milan and other select multi brand stores as well as online at www.stellamccartney.com. By the end of July, the designer will have 51 freestanding stores worldwide.
ABOUT STELLA MCCARTNEY
Stella McCartney is a 50/50 joint venture partnership between Stella McCartney and Kering established in 2001. A lifelong vegetarian, Stella McCartney does not use any leather or fur in her designs. The brand’s ready-to-wear, accessories, lingerie, fragrance, kids and adidas by Stella McCartney collections are currently available through 48 other free-standing stores including London, New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, Milan and Shanghai. For additional information, please visit: www.stellamccartney.com.
Store information:
Via dei Tosinghi, 52r, 50123, Florence
Source: Stella McCartney