Gucci opens temporary experiential venues in Milan, London, Berlin

By

Dominique Muret

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Oct 4, 2021

Gucci has launched a new initiative to mark its centenary. The Kering group's leading label is opening three temporary stores of a novel kind in Milan, Berlin and London, aiming to offer its customers a new, immersive experience. The stores are called Gucci Circolo, a reference to the literary salons and societies of old. Each of them is strongly linked to the atmosphere of the neighbourhood it is located in, and they will be home to a string of events between now and the end of November.

The Milanese store is located at Via Borgospesso 5, inside the baroque Gallarati Scotti palazzo. The halls of this historic building, not far from Milan's central luxury shopping district and decorated with Tiepolo frescoes, feature various differently themed interiors, evoking the influences inspiring Alessandro Michele, the label's creative director.

Besides a selection of items from the Gucci 100 anniversary collection, available for purchase, the venue features a series of installations showcasing Gucci's latest collection, Aria, which was presented in April with a video, and ‘The Hacker Project’, a capsule collection designed by Michele with Balenciaga’s creative director Demna Gvasalia.

In the ‘listening lounge’, overflowing with vintage vinyl records, visitors can listen to tracks by a number of musicians close to Gucci, among them Harry Styles, Sir Elton John, Florence Welch and Achille Lauro, and download the playlist created for Gucci’s centenary. Visitors can also have fun taking selfies in a photo booth whose background features printed patterns from the Gucci 100 collection.

Elsewhere, a long white tunnel lined with spotlights and neons replicates the catwalk of the Aria collection’s show, giving visitors a chance to enjoy that fashion runway feeling. At one end of the venue, visitors can take a break in a tea room festooned with plants and furnished with Gucci accessories and furniture.

To dip into the Gucci universe, visitors can either chance it on the day, or book a visit on the label's website. The Berlin venue is located at Hallesches Ufer 78, inside an old industrial building in the Kreuzberg district. London’s Gucci Circolo Shoreditch is instead located at 17-23 Whitby Street, in the eponymous hipster district.