Marni.

In an era where online shopping is the norm, why would anyone visit a physical store?

We worked with Francesco Risso (Creative Director of MARNI), Chungaiz Khan (Marni CMO), and Brinkworth to completely rethink Marni’s flagship retail experience. Following a series of inspiring creative workshops and in-depth conversations, we envisioned architectural interventions that bring the artistic spirit of the Marni atelier directly into their retail spaces.

Two installations have been created so far:
The first is a sculptural stack of cars and caravans welded together to enclose a fully functioning studio which grows vertically through a three story lightwell in the heart of Marni’s Milan flagship space.
The second has landed in Shanghai, where a rock-like sculpture/studio hovers on stilts above the functioning store.

Both Vessel like spaces welcome a rotation of artists-in-residence to take over each space and make it their own.
Although the installations look completely different, they are both built on the core idea that each artist will have free rein to adapt the exterior to manifest their own aesthetic, meaning each structure collects a history of its own.

The first artist to take up residency in the Milan store was Icelandic artist Shoplifter, followed by Flaminia Veronesi.
The vessel in Shanghai has hosted takeovers by artists Nathan Zhou and Zhang Ji.

Marni Milan:
Via Montenapoleone, 26 Milan, 20121. Italy

Marni Shanghai:
JC Plaza, 1225 Nanjing Xi Lu, Shop L102, L202 and L203 (Nanjing Xi Lu) 200040 Shanghai.

Photography by Louise Melchior