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Brioni has recently opened a new Paris Flagship Store at 370 Rue Saint-Honoré. The 590 square meters interior marks an important step in the development of Brioni’s retail network expansion and the debut of the New Store Concept developed by David Chipperfield Architects. Depicting the contemporary essence of Rome where Brioni heritage, its roots and its tailoring tradition merges with the present and the future, the store emphasises the new brand vision under the creative direction of Justin O’Shea.

Over the last year, David Chipperfield Architects and Brioni have been exploring and developing a New Store Concept conveying and combining ideas of luxury and simplicity, craftsmanship and industrialisation, tradition and a vision of the future.

The general approach of the New Store Concept treads a fine line by adhering to a contemporary sense of quality while using classic materials. The challenge of the New Concept is to offer a different way of interpreting men’s clothing and, in parallel, to propose a new way of men’s shopping through creating a “gallery of clothes”.

Architectural elements are carefully articulated throughout the space – floors and walls are lined in grey travertine – also known as ‘lapis tiburtinus’, as a clear reference to ancient Rome. The compact calcium carbonate travertine flooring and walling serves as a memory but also a distinguishing mark for the brand with “one foot in the past and one foot in the future.” A sense of grandeur is achieved by large marble columns that assume their tectonic value expressed by their differing colours.

The intention for the Store Design was to generate two feelings: the feeling of openness with natural light coming in through windows on the ground floor level, and a contrasting feeling of enclosure at the basement floor level. A wide stage-like staircase links the two store levels without disrupting spatial continuity. The semi-transparent metal mesh partitions and the slim floor-to-ceiling studs used for display form a delicate counterbalance to the gravitas of travertine and marble.

[Images courtesy of David Chipperfield Architects. Photography © Paola Pansini.]

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