Krizia, the Italian brand founded by Mariuccia Mandelli in the 1950s in Milan, is making a play for a comeback. Part of that rebranding involves a slick new shop along the fancy Via della Spiga, 23 (its historical location) that has been redesigned by one of Italy’s hottest architects, Vincenzo De Cotiis.
The mood inside the boutique is stark. It is distilled down to hard lines and pure geometry in a lofty, clean box that evokes an art gallery. But as usual, De Cotiis has pilfered a cool new material to give the space an intriguing heart beat. In this case, he has used fiberglass shells, repurposed from old ships, whose scratched surface present a raw contrast to sleek onyx and reflective mirroring on warm, glowing walls.
A staircase crafted from burnished steel and coloured glass brings customers from the ground floor to a sub-level where an expanded offering of Krizia’s ready-to-wear and accessories can be found. De Cotiis has also transformed boring retail necessities into intriguing forms. Display cases crafted from burnished steel and glass look like giant prehistoric dinosaur teeth. Tables crafted from brass cubes, meanwhile, are configured in a visually satisfying zigzag formations.
