Gucci presented its Cruise 2024 collection at Gyeongbokgung Palace, in Seoul, last month, celebrating 25 years in Seoul. The choice of location paid homage to the beauty of South Korean cultural heritage. The Gyeongbokgung Palace has been a renowned venue not just for this show but for royal ceremonies and has been receiving foreign dignitaries since the Joseon Dynasty.
“Gyeongbokgung Palace is one of those wonders of the world that made us feel an instant connection with Korean culture and the people who created it,” said Marco Bizzarri, president & CEO, Gucci, on the occasion. The brand has been committed to support the conservation and restoration of the Gyeongbokgung Palace since last year besides being associated with significant landmarks, including the Dia-Art Foundation in New York City; The Cloisters of Westminster Abbey in London; the Capitoline Museums in Rome; Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.
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With the expansion of luxury retail globally, brands are increasingly opting for heritage properties for their unique historical charm and regality, and the exotic setups gel well with most brands’ lineage. All this put together makes for a great shopping experience.
Recently, fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee opened his largest-ever flagship store at the majestic neo-classical heritage landmark building at Horniman Circle in Mumbai, which is also home to French fashion house Hermes and shoe couturier Christian Louboutin. Horniman Circle was originally built for the British Bank of the Middle East in 1913, and the building is classified under the Heritage Regulations of Greater Bombay 1995. The new Sabyasachi space houses several antique paintings and historical trinkets—over 100 chandeliers, 275 carpets, 3,000 books and 150 works of art. The space is lined with curiosity cabinets sourced from souks, modernist interpretations of Persian Qajars, 18th-century Venetian handcrafted chairs, rare French Art Nouveau cabinets and brass sculptures made in Kolkata.
Brands also look for clean and creative interiors for elaborate and arty display of ensembles as these places are high in demand and limited in number. Designer Anita Dongre opened her flagship early this year at the historic 200-year-old Sassoon Building that faces the David Sassoon Library and the University of Mumbai. Dongre has kept as much of the original form and blended the momentous past of the 19th with her 21st century designs. The teak staircase in the building has been restored and takes the visitor to the first floor where gold pichwai nature scenes adorn the room in an emerald green base. The floor speaks of craft stories against the 200-year-old restored metal and woodwork frames and recreates the magnificence of Bombay as a city in that era.
Last year in December, Tarun Tahiliani opened a brand new luxury address in Bengaluru in a colonial-era cottage.
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Meanwhile, Chanel announced a partnership with historical monument Grand Palais in Paris to contribute over £22 million towards the restoration and renovation of the site. The Grand Palais remains one of Europe’s most beautiful buildings and the brand is expected to build up extraordinary decorations for its haute couture shows here.
Louis Vuitton last month showcased its Cruise 2024 collection at the historic Isola Bella Island, one of the Borromean Islands of Lago Maggiore in north Italy, known as an architectural masterpiece, and a treasure chest of Baroque art suspended over water. The Isola Bella has been in the hands of the Borromeo family for around 400 years.
Other fashion houses are dedicated to restoring heritage buildings and support iconic landmarks. Prada revamped a historic 1918 mansion in Shanghai called Rong Zhai into a flexible site for cultural exhibitions and performances, while Italian luxury shoemaker Tod’s funded 25 million euros for a clean-up of the Colosseum in 2016 to remove crusted dirt and grime caused by traffic pollution. Italian jeweller Bulgari contributed 1.5 million euros to fix the cracked Spanish Steps, and the renovated steps were unveiled in 2016. Fendi donated 2.2 million euros to repair one of the world’s greatest archaeological treasures, the Trevi Fountain.