The art of retail

Selina Denman , June 22nd, 2009

Marni’s second store in New York promotes angular simplicity and geometric minimalism – without coming across as too cold

Nestled at the highest end of high-end fashion, Marni was formed in 1994 by the Castiglioni family. Already producing fur for all the major designers, the family wanted to carve a new niche for itself by creating a fashion brand that was innovative, eclectic and extremely refined.

“My aim is to satisfy the desire for uniqueness, distinction and elegance,” Consuelo Castiglioni explained to Commercial Interior Design. “I think that the person who chooses to wear Marni has a sophisticated approach to fashion, not necessary fashion-driven, but with a strong identity in terms of style. They are curious and enthusiastic about experimenting and playing with forms, structures, prints and colours, creating one’s own combinations.”

This element of experimentation extends beyond the clothes and seeps into every element of the brand. It is particularly evident in the retail spaces that the Marni collections call home.

With a brand that is so precise in its personality and so comfortable in its own skin, there is a real need to create retail settings that do it justice. Which is why Castiglioni, who has a heightened understanding of the importance that a retail space plays in communicating a brand promise, works so closely with London-based architecture firm, Sybarite, to create shops that get the message just right.

“You have to understand the soul of the collections and how to communicate it through the shop,” she said.

“The boutique has to be a perfect container for the products on sale and there has to be harmony between the two.



"It means for us that one should highlight the other, playing with contrast, colour and material. All Marni boutiques are designed as an innovative and unique backdrop for the collections. Linked by a distinctive architectural language, such as the use of specific materials or forms, the stores differ in detail.

“When I and the London firm Sybarite create the concept, we always maintain certain local elements in order to harmonise and reflect the characteristics of the surrounding setting. The concept of all Marni boutiques is to offer an out-of-the ordinary shopping ambience,” Castiglioni explained.

Out of the ordinary

Nowhere, perhaps, is the need to create ‘out-of-the ordinary’ retail experiences more acute than in New York, where Marni recently opened its second store. Set on 21 East 67th Street, between Madison Avenue and Fifth Avenue, the new shop is located in what was formerly an art gallery.

A highly minimalist design scheme was selected for the two-floor, 2,700ft² space, with striking lines and shapes creating a playful backdrop. “We used strong lines and abstract shapes to convey New York’s vibrant energy. By introducing intervals between the two floors we wanted to create movement, interrupting the linear, geometric approach,” Castiglioni explained.

In keeping with the gallery theme, the collection is displayed as if it were pieces of art. A trapezoidal opening in the ceiling of the ground floor creates a dramatic, double-height entrance from which natural fibreglass display mannequins are randomly suspended. Large geometric ceiling cut-outs covered with stretched Barrisol fabric add a theatrical skylight effect.

Meanwhile, white polished stainless steel panelling leads from the entrance and winds itself around the ground floor, promoting an element of angular simplicity. Double-velvet upholstered boxes displaying accessories are suspended in front of the panelling.

Along the opposite wall, a long, undulating, Marni-signature hanging display rail runs from the entrance up to a staircase leading to the second floor. Set into the back of the ground floor space are circular-tiered display tables in fibreglass, which are topped with shoes. Abstract sunglass-wearing display heads line an accessories wall.

Branching out

The second floor opens onto a large room with petal-like, polished stainless steel benches, clear Plexiglas display cases and additional stainless steel display rails. Sprouting upwards from the main to the second floor, a giant, mirror-polished stainless steel ‘tree’ branches out through a second, equally dramatic, trapezoidal opening.

“A feeling of space is created by the double-height entrance and by the trapezoidal opening, through which the Marni stainless steel tree grows, carrying the collection.”

In its ‘shadows’, an oval railing encircles the room and displays the ready-to-wear collection. An intimate ante-room at the back houses the lingerie collection on fibreglass hangers and busts in recessed leather boxes.



Artistic, angular simplicity and geometric minimalism are the phrases that best capture the essence of the space, Castiglioni explained. But there were significant challenges in creating a minimalist space that would not come across as too cold, she noted. “The challenge was to create a minimalist design which would not appear sterile and unwelcoming,” she said.

“We decided to cover the floor with a soft wool carpet in different tones of lilac throughout the store, which contrasts harmoniously with the coolness of the abstract shapes.”

Echoing the design signature of Marni’s clothing lines, the interiors of the second New York store play with contrasting materials, blending steel with leather, fibreglass and velvet.

“Identical to my approach to the creation of collections, where I continuously experiment with different fabrics and the juxtaposition of their texture, the boutique presents a wide range of materials that stand in contrast. Polished stainless steel, natural fibreglass, leather upholstered display boxes or covered in double velvet, as well as large Barrisol light.”

The end result is a space where every element contributes in creating a complete, holistic experience, Castiglioni explained. “I rather view the store’s design as a path that leads you through and tells you of the collection. All different parts and perspectives overlap and mingle, contributing to the whole vision of the boutique.”