The brand, known for its signature crystal, initiated the revamp under the leadership of Giovanna Engelbert, Swarovski’s first-ever global creative director, who was appointed to the role in May of last year.
Swarovski has introduced a new brick-and-mortar concept called “Instant Wonder,” which will feature 30 stores in key global markets.
The 30 “Instant Wonder” stores will include live and digital activations designed in partnership with Paris-based events company Villa Eugenie. The first of these locations was opened in Milan on February 21st.
The new project was completed by the Architectural and General Contractors firms Th3 Standard and Blu Label.
Located in the heart of Soho, the flagship will offer the most exclusive Originals product releases, including Spezial, Ivy Park, and YEEZY alongside one-off installations designed by local talents.
Displays of our archive products throughout the store highlight the brand’s connection to the fashion, music, and art synonymous with the capital’s rich cultural history – a true home for the city’s creators.
The new boutique is located in the exclusive Paseo de Gracia 89, a prestigious destination in the cosmopolitan city. Interior design was entrusted to the architectural studio Gilles & Boissier, continuing the well-established collaborative partnership, which has designed a new space with a refined blend of materials and artistic sensibilities.
Luxury retailer Flannels, which has a portfolio of more than 40 locations, has opened its latest in Birmingham, alongside an announcement that it plans on opening 17 new stores by the end of 2021.
The new Birmingham store, located in the Fort Shopping Park, spans 12,000 square foot and houses a carefully curated selection of men’s and women’s luxury designer clothing and accessories. Brands on offer include Balmain, Balenciaga, Off White and Alexander McQueen.
Much like the rest of the brand’s portfolio, the Birmingham store was designed by London and Miami-based designers Argent whose international projects include luxury residential, superyachts, private jets as well as upmarket retail.
Today we talk about Costa Group s.r.l. and we sit down with the CEO, Sandro Costa to learn more about the Company.
Industry: Hospitality, Food & Beverage
Location: La Spezia, Italy
Employees: 100
Completed projects: 6,000
Tell us about your company. What kind of product or service do you provide?
Costa Group is a company specializing in the design and fitting of F&B venues, boasting more than 6.000 shops and collaborations worldwide with the most important brands of the Food & Beverage industry.
One of the key features is the design and construction of the shops on site: from the study of the format to the 1:1 scale simulation inside the factory, the assembly, and the subsequent assistance. It is a fast process, in close collaboration with the customer in order to deliver a finished, tailored product.
Today Costa Group is a combination of technology and research, it is much more than a simple piece of furniture: Costa Group means creating a product that can communicate something, not just to be displayed.
How many employees does your company currently have? Where is your office located?
The company extends over 13.000 sqm immersed in the countryside in Riccò del Golfo, in the province of La Spezia (Italy). This is where ideas and projects are shaped to become examples of Made in Italy around the world. We have our own team of architects, engineers, and designers but we frequently cooperate with internationally renowned architecture firms.
Our facility includes wood, marble, metal, glass, and fiberglass processing. We also have Graphic, Administration, Marketing, and Sales departments, for a total of about 100 employees.
What inspired the business and where is your company today?
Born from a visionary idea of innovating bakeries, we have come a long way in 40 years of experience. From Riccò del Golfo, a small Ligurian town, we cross the five continents exporting our creations all over the F&B world. Costa Group’s recipe is simple: we want to bring ideas from paper to fittings, we export Italian tradition and culture overcoming everything that is just ordinary, classic, and unoriginal.
Tell us about one specific project you worked on and which challenges you solved?
Among many projects, we would like to mention La Grande
Epicerie de Paris (LVMH Group). 3000 sqm on four floors with a gastronomic
offer that includes excellent wines, baked products, butchery, etc.
It is a prestigious project we are very proud of, and we
developed every single detail in cooperation with Le Bon Marché’s team of
architects.
The first challenge that we faced was due to the high
level of details and finishing of every single piece that we manufactured. In
addition to this, we had to meet the deadlines both during the design and
logistics phases and during the assembly, since the opening date had already
been set and could not be postponed. Finally, our design and manufacturing had
been carried out exclusively based on plans and drawings, since the building
was still under construction.
Which milestones are you planning to achieve in the next 12 months?
From a commercial point of view, we are working on further development in the US market, where we have already been successfully working for over 12 years with several important projects including Sorbillo pizzerias, the renovation of the former La Centrale in Miami (now, Luna Park Miami) at Brickell City Centre, and obviously Eataly stores in New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Dallas (under construction).
In general, for 2021 we are looking forward to a significant global recovery of the F&B industry, and we will provide restaurateurs and Ho.Re.Ca entrepreneurs solutions that can help them to face the new, post-COVID challenges.
What do you like most about 4URSPACE?
What we really appreciate is the dynamism and the reliability that allows reaching professionals from the Retail industry.
The three-floor boutique is located on P.C. Hooftstraat street, the city’s premier luxury shopping destination. A reflection of the brand’s timeless glamour, the 170 square meter boutique showcases a curated selection of women’s and men’s ready-to-wear and accessories.
L’Elite Group designs, manufactures, and sets up furniture for retail stores, hospitality, restaurants/hotels, living space and every kind of context that need a customized furnishing, all over the world.
diptyque has opened a new store in Amsterdam Runstraat, the old tannery district, paying tribute to the history and the architecture of the Netherlands’ capital city. In the tradition of diptyque’s connection of perfume and art, it’s emblematic collections are showcased in a new poetic space.
Situated on the prestigious high-street of P.C. Hooftstraat, the new VERSACE store in Amsterdam (Netherlands) occupies 170 sqm. (1,830 sq.ft.) spread across two floors of a 20th-century red brick structure. Designed by the in-house design team of the Milan-based luxury brand, the premises see a lavish interior design according to the latest Versace retail design codes.
Swarovski has introduced its ‘Crystal Studio’ to the UK, opening on London’s Oxford Street as the location for the first venue in the country.
It opened its first Crystal Studio last autumn in Milan, in celebration of the company’s 125th anniversary, with more following in Paris, Beijing, Tokyo, LA, and Shanghai.
The very first Swarovski retail store was also opened in London nearly 40 years ago, in Mayfair in 1983. The new concept store opened on July 30
Balenciaga has opened a new flagship in Rome at Piazza di Spagna, its fourth mono-brand store in Italy. Located at the foot of the Spanish Steps—introduces a location-specific concept to showcase men’s, women’s, and kids’ ready-to-wear, bags, shoes, and accessories on two full floors.
Glass doors and windows facing the street are curved inward, creating convex spaces that reveal a wider view of the store’s interior from outside. Inside, rooms open up to one another, each a variation of the theme that came before it. The floors of each room are made from a variety of codified textures: asphalt-like, interlocking concrete tile, and logo-carved carpet in cement grey and theatrical red.
