Remo Ruffini, President and CEO of Moncler, first began working with the French designers Patrick Gilles and Dorothée Boissier 12 years ago, for the opening of the company’s first store, specialised in winter clothing, located in rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Paris. Since then, Moncler shops designed by Gilles & Boissier have sprung up all over the world. Milan, Tokyo, Copenhagen, Vienna, Roma, Cannes, Genoa, Courchevel, Beijing, Hawai and Hong Kong. The latest addition to this impressive list is located in the heart of New York, at the junction of Madison Avenue and 59th Street. For the French designers, this store was about the challenge of creating a new story in line with the Italian luxury brand’s identity. It develops over two floors, 6,500 sqm, with an entrance corridor which aims to inspire the emotional, perceptive and psychological involvement of customers.
The Brussels artist, known under the pseudonym Bardula, has created an installation called Solaris, linked to Lumino Kinetic art, a variation of 60s kinetic art. It consist of 24 golden blades, at least four metres in height, positioned in a particular geometry to create a spherical distortion.
Visitors find themselves standing on a white and black Chevron pattern floor, surrounded by a magnetic and luminous tunnel, leading them into a parallel dimension. A dimension featuring fine black and grey veined marbles, oxidised brass, wood, golden elements and interiors reminiscent of libraries and elegant saloons.
These spaces, where red-coloured flashes appear on the floor or ceiling, contain large wardrobes with niches in walnut, or elegant glass and metal showcases for prêt-à-porter collections and Moncler accessories for men, women and kids.
Like a custodian guarding the store animated by a quintessentially New York spirit, a gigantic bearded bronze statue towers triumphantly at the back of the store, by the French sculptor Christophe Charbonnel. The human figure always triumphs in works by this artist, with reflective, angular faces and expressions which hypnotise spectators.
Credits:
Client/Owner: Moncler
Interior Design: Gilles & Bissier
Furnishings: on Design
Lightings: on Design
Author: Agatha Kari
Photo Credits: Eric Laignel
