As previously said, OTB , the Italian parent company of luxury brands Maison Margiela, Jil Sander, Marni and minority stakeholder in Amiri, is betting big on China, opening standalone boutiques in one go for each of the aforementioned brands at JC Plaza shopping centre in Shanghai. Despite already having four stores at leading shopping centres across the city, Marni sees room for further growth and raises its profile with a fifth retail space at the aforementioned shopping centre, and this one arguably is its most ambitious to date in this part of the world. The store is expansive, occupying no less than 340 sqm. (3,660 sq.ft.) spread across two floors, and following last month’s inauguration of a new and relocated Marni flagship store on via Montenapoleone in Milan, it sees a renewed collaboration between Marni‘s creative director Francesco Risso and London-based design practices Brinkworth and the Wilson Brothers.
The design codes are an extrapolation of those laid down for the retail space in the Lombardian capital, but obviously, adapted to the location’s dimensions and with a different twist. Walls are clad in silver beveled mirror tiles which reflect the floods of daylight coming through the expansive glass façade, while the material can also be seen on a variety of displays across the premises. The industrial look is reinforced by concrete flooring, exposed ceilings, metal surfaces and large mirrors, but then again softened, and quite literally so, by fluffy carpeting with bands in gradations of red. Obviously, the brand’s signature clothing racks, here flaunting sinuous copper rails, can be found here as well. Marni‘s artistic focus specifically shines through in the setting by way of a sculptural space on the second floor. Dubbed Yunshi or Meteorite, it’s an exhibition space of sorts where a rotation of artists showcase their work, and the very first one to do just that is Nathan Zhou. The new Marni boutique carries the full range of apparel, accessories, bags and shoes for women, men and kids.
Marni
JC Plaza, 1225 Nanjing Xi Lu, Shop L102, L202 and L203 (Nanjing Xi Lu)
200040 Shanghai
Telephone: +86 21 52761663
Daily 10am-10pm
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
