MAX MARA

Flagship Store

C.so Vittorio Emanuele, Milan

2009 -  146 sqm

The Max Mara Milano flagship is located in the prestigious Corso Vittorio Emanuele, with a surface of 1,400 sqm vertically articulated on four selling floors makes this the largest of the Max Mara stores.

From the exterior, the design seeks to create a dialogue with the street. Over five meters high and frameless, the windows let the inside volumes breathe, serving as their seethrough skin and highlighting the facets of the architectural plan that define the interior spaces.

Entirely visible from both sides of the store, the staircase leading to the upper levels is a dynamic, helix-shaped sculpture which, through its commanding presence, establishes the motif of verticality then echoed on the higher floors.

This element is the vertebral column of the project and communicates the importance of the upper levels.

Inside , the organic materials presented in a pallette of earth tones haved been unified to create a sober yet welcoming backdrop in a language that creatively interprets the values of the Max Mara brand.

The choice of wood—ash-treated oak, wicker and almost one hundred year old ipe lapacho, recycled from a soccer stadium in Buenos Aires—communicate the continuous mixtures of cultures and materials and remind the visitor of architecture’s historical antecedents.

These choices complement the hard materials selected for each floor: platinum-treated glass, copper plates and shiny stainless steel.

On the ground floor, the accessories takes place through a versatile space designed for multi-functional installations that can change with the seasons.

At the mezzanine level, the Sport Max and Sport Max Code collections are exhibited in a space of dream and sensuality. Central to this experience is a set of right angled walls covered in glass tiles made of platinum leaves that shine and glitter like the most precious of stones.

The premier collections of the fashion group, Max Mara and S’Max Mara. Here, the areas housing the collections are entirely covered in ipe lapacho wood that provokes a striking contrast to the platinum glass tiles. Also on this floor is the bridal collection, accentuated by the natural light of floor to ceiling windows that look out on a 190 sqm terrace.

The basement level, with walls and floor purposely left in a semi-rough state, contains the most casual collections, including Weekend and denim wear, together with a newly-offered selection of home products.

This project was designed before 2012 by the studio formerly known as GRASSICORREA Architects

(Duccio Grassi and Fernando Correa - partners).

Photos by Andrea Martiradonna

Photos by Veronica Morales Angulo

Photos by Riccardo Varini

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