By any yardstick, brand visibility is the touchstone of every sensible marketing strategy – even more so during these virus-laced days which have resulted in plunging global retail revenues.
Bottega Veneta, however, has long taken a contrarian approach, eschewing both flash and even a quotidian logo in favour of an understated almost opaque mood. And if its current pop-up installation slash boutique in Shanghai is anything to go by, the leather specialist is determined to literally amp up that opacity.
Located in the atrium floor of the behemoth Plaza 66 mall, The Invisible Store is a mesmerising conceit that feels like its one-part Doug Aitken’s ‘Mirage’ installations, and two-parts Inception.
Conceived specifically for Plaza 66 under the watchful eye of Bottega Veneta’s laureled creative director, Daniel Lee, the three metre high, 100 sq m cuboid is clad entirely in mirrors, its sheer surface effectively camouflaged by the seamless reflection of the atrium’s panoramic landscape of tent-pole luxury-brand tenants.
RELATED STORY
Where other brands fight for space and visibility, Bottega Veneta gives them the opportunity, with the Invisible Store, to reflect their logos on the pop-up, an arch self-aware meta gesture. This pop-up subverts the idea of perception, the tension between the seen and unseen and gives visibilty a new spin.
The tension is particularly evident inside the pop-up where the volume of white-on-white surfaces and mirrors, toying with light and space in a journey of optical illusion, dizzyingly displays choice pieces from Bottega’s pre-Fall 2020 men’s and women’s collections of bags, small leather goods, shoes, jewellery, eyewear and prêt-à-porter.
INFORMATION
Until 19 July 2020. bottegaveneta.com
ADDRESS
Plaza 66
1266 Nanjing West Road
Jing An District
Shanghai, China
-
Javier's, a new cathedral-inspired restaurant in downtown LA, offers a divine take on Mexican cuisineAt the restaurant's newest location, discovery lies around every corner – and on every plate
-
We'd happily move into this super-stylish New York architecture officeMichael K Chen’s newly expanded Midtown workspace is a calling card for his intuitive style and inclusive approach
-
The Macbeth, an icon of indie sleaze, goes from grotty to gastroAn East End legend meets Portuguese small plates in Jamie Allan’s ambitious revival of a beloved Hackney watering hole
-
Chanel heads to Hangzhou, China for a poetic Métiers d’Art 2025 showThis evening in China (3 December 2024), Chanel travelled to Hangzhou’s much-mythologised West Lake, a Unesco World Heritage site, for a show that highlighted the extraordinary craft of the house’s artisans
-
ENG Shanghai: Minority Report-inspired retail for the Gen Z mindENG Shanghai opens its second luxury fashion concept store aimed at Gen Z customers, inside the city’s TX Mall, featuring artworks by Carlos Saez, robotic arms and cyborg-like mannequins
-
Ripple effect: Trongyee’s undulating Shantou boutiqueShenzen-based firm AD Architecture has conceived a rippling, pared-back retail design for Shantou, China-located luxury womenswear boutique Trongyee
-
The China List: Chanel, FashionWallpaper* and China’s Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development Fund (CHSDF) present China By Design—a celebration of Chinese cultural heritage and the many global creatives who have been inspired by it. Explore the full list here.
-
The China List: Jean Paul Gaultier, FashionWallpaper* and China’s Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development Fund (CHSDF) present China By Design—a celebration of Chinese cultural heritage and the many global creatives who have been inspired by it.
-
Playing it spool inside Annakiki’s thread-stacked boutique -
Atelier Tao+c designs monochrome multi-brand boutique in Zhengzhou -
AIM designs steely cosmetics boutique in Hong Kong
