The shadows of crisis on the Fashion Week

Only two days before the start of Milan Male Fashion week miss and the rushing city seems to be the depressed, not-buying capital. Few passersby, half-empty shops and frustated window-watching occupy the high street. Corso Vittorio Emanuele has seen its pillars falling down and also via Berchet has been closed for the ice. For scaramantic ones, the sign of the crisis appears when the city loses its glam pieces.

The crisis pervades all the streets and transforms them. Even 2 stores along the high street has switched to temporary shop, but in the worst, low cost way. And where was Mondadori bookshop in the past, now the mega-window of AN lies.

Crisis changes trends and people behaviour in front of the mirrors and shop windows. The dresses walking down the street are still fashion, but too many times are exceptional fakes, like UGG boots. Sadly, or not, the girl who saved on food to buy a Balengiaca bag is disappearing. While fashion victims and addicteds can't afford their beloved blue chip brands, the fashion conscious ones grow, aware of the possibilies of the outdoor markets. Fashion traverls move all over the world to find branded bargains in the devasted NY or in the well-known Camden Town market in London.

Two days left to the fashion shows and designers are not so optimistic, neither the Fashion Italian Chamber. Indeed, a fee of 60 euros has been put on journalists who wants to being part of the fashion biz in the following 4 days. The president of the the chamber, Boselli, said: " The accreditation tax is not about the crisis: Paris, London and NY already has made it paid for several years." And what about the crisis? Boselli replays: " People still want branded and wonderful clothes, but not at boutique prices." In this statement, he referes to the exstraordinary results gained with outlets, even though Ascomodamilano reports not encouraging data. " This trend is not good for retail, traditional, one brand store in the historical centre." Franco Tomelli explains, secretary of Fashion Federation. And the futures about sales period (2% sold more than the previous year, medium receipt 150 euro) are not enough. " They are going to finish soon and people won't spend until the next ones. There are other priorities in the long run."

On Saturday, Milan Male Fashion Week is going to start for the F/W 09/10 and will be interrupted on the 20th of January: 4 days, one less the usual, because of the YSL event in Paris, designed by Stefano Pilati.

Ferrari store and its design identity

Yesterday evening a long film about Ferrari family was broadcasted on italian television. That's why today I pay attention to Ferrari Store in Milan designed by Massimo Iosa Ghini.

It can be defined as a immaginative shop. The wiggly curves and the shiny surfaces remind of the soft lines of the red Ferrari as you enter the shop. Indeed, the designer claims: “I used the sensation of dinamicity of the cars, releating to the concept of speed of futurist movement".

It is an innovative commercial space and the largest of the stores currently in existence. There are five display windows and the store is over 800m², of which 600m² is given over to sales. On the five floors, visitors can find countless articles of memorabilia and the entire ‘Replica’ clothing range of track apparel and F1 accessories. Floor -1 is dedicated to clothing that takes Gran Turismo as its inspiration while floor -2 is the children’s zone where games and even an F1 simulator can be found. Books, scale models and original parts of Gran Turismo and Formula 1 cars are situated on the first floor. Luxury goods are on the second floor.

Not only do we talk about a jewel-car, but also about one of the most interesting case of design identity.

An interactive museum takes place thanks to ipertech, memories keeper, where the audience feels through historical videos, b/w photos, models. As Ghini continues: " Ferrari store aims to be the meeting point of the story and Ferrari's myth, of the luxury and racing world.

The project of Ghini includes megascreens, new technologies, an environment on light movements in order to put all the attention of the red Ferrari.

The Ferrari Store is equipped with the latest technology which allows visitors to be fully immersed in the world of Formula 1 and to participate directly in the company’s most famous events. Plasma screens (including one of 5m x 1m) and a state-of-the-art audio-visual system captivates the public in a sound and vision experience that truly gives the impression of being at trackside.

Milan welcome the largest Diesel boutique

After Tokyo-Ginza and Hong Kong-Queens Road, Milan welcome the third Diesel Planet, an huge store of 1500 meter square on 3 levels that shows all the collections and lines of the brand. Everyone can see it at the cross of Piazza San Babila and Corso Vittorio Emanuele. The opening of this belongs to a wider project to make Diesel preminent in the fashion capital, thanks the other stores in Corso Venezia, in Galleria San Carlo e Corso di Porta Ticinese.

Some architectural particularities: a cristal, curved wall of 7 m high and 35 m long, spreads from one side to the other, while a spiral staircase its the central reference. At the entrance of the shop, an enourmous wall of denim Diesel welcome the clients. On it, over 150 models are displayed indifferent colour, 5000 types in total.

To find out the jeans that fits you, the store provides you with a magic mirror that gives you a 360° view of your silhouette. Moreover, a pc chooses for you the perfect cut and wash. Besides those, a wi-fi connection allows you to shop in the on-line boutique.

Each level detains its own olfatory station, studied to stimulate senses in function of the display. There is also a bookshop that sells the best edition of fashion and design by Tashen, which has edited"XXX of Diesel Communication", while a vintage corner will offer all the cult products of Diesel after 70's. And because music continues to occupy a preminent position in Diesel world, a dj consolle will host dj-stars during perfomance live.

55DSL TemporART opening

Fashion, music and design. Those are the ingredients of the mix that was present on the 6th december in Galleria Corso San Carlo where Diesel opened 55DSL TemporarART Store, a new spacce where the creative team of Andrea Rosso reveals its creativity.

A big party, continued at Magazzini Generali, started this new project where the concept becomes a new experience: divided in 2 sections, one white and one black, 55 DSL TemporART Store has been studied on two parallel levels where the continuum will be the collection 55DSL.

Andrea Rosso, music and design enthusiatic, will give the possibility to a lot of young artists to show their own talent thanks to the personalization of the space that will be an important novity shop window. The first artist was T.O.D.O.S., a spanish collective of Madrid.

55DSL TemporART
Galleria San Carlo

Milan

H&M changes the face of the store in Milan

The swedish pap brand H&M has relied on the fellow countrywoman Lovisa Burfitt to renew the store in Milan in a art gallery presence.

Lovisa Burfitt is well-known for its T-shirts, available only at Palais of Tokyo, in the No Good Store and in the boutique Joseph of Paris. She has received only a unique order from H&M: to free the flow of her imagination and of her design talent. As a result, 50 panels represent the fashion world which H&M has transformed in wallpapers and displayed on the different points of the office.

After seeing the success of the change, the swedish brand decided to do the same in Tokyo. Besides this success, she already knows some similar ones: in Stockolm, she decorated the wall of East restaurant and Hotel Scandic.