The first flagship store from Marsèll, the renowned Italian craft footwear and accessories brand that maintains an open dialogue with art and culture, opens at Via della Spiga 42. A 400-square-metre space set across two levels is dedicated to iconic, timeless collections. 

THE CONCEPT

The project brief was clear: the only requirement was to conceive of an absolute space, a blend of the modular environments seen in the rigorous architecture of Marcel Breuer and the meditative atmospheres created by Carlo Scarpa. Marsèll’s first flagship store on Via della Spiga in Milan’s Quadrilatero della Moda (Fashion District) is the result of eight months of close collaboration between the Italian shoe and accessories brand and Berlin design studio Lotto Studio. Together, they have designed a space in which to get away from it all. Open, modern, comfortable and solemn, with space to showcase the entire repertoire of Marsèll creations.

THE SPACE

The Marsèll store occupies 400 square metres across two floors. The men’s and women’s collections are found at street level along with an additional gallery area for presenting collaborations and site-specific art projects, while the basement level functions as a forum with a dual purpose: to display the Marsèll Gomme family and to host meetings, exhibitions and conferences. This room is characterised by long terraces that delimit a central area, imagined as an exhibition space. It is accessed via a large staircase characterised by a walnut bookcase conceived as a permanent work of art, which extends to the full height of the space and forms a connecting element between the floors. A curtain system has been designed to flexibly subdivide the space if needed, allowing a modular approach to the encounters and flow of an ever-evolving public.

“The space was conceived and developed by imagining the perfect Marsèll house, a place where everything that has always defined us merges into a perfect whole.” Marco Cima – Creative Director and Founder of Marsèll

THE MATERIALS

Carefully and consciously chosen materials are varied and delineated in different finishes, the result of constant, tireless research: respectful of the material, simple, sufficiently sophisticated, and therefore elegant. There are two main elements which contrast with each other to define the geometry of the interior: stone-earth and space-air. Materials tangibly define the various zones, with travertine chosen to signify the women’s area and walnut wood for the men’s area. And then stainless steel, glass, leather and colours from the Marsèll DNA mixed with translucent fabrics. Walls made from an innovative mixture of cement and pebble grit from the river Brenta serve as the perimeter to a more flexible and contemporary interior, with areas dedicated to the presentation of artists and creatives.

“An obsession with and constant research into materials and how to combine them made it possible to create a space that skilfully combines design and craftsmanship.” Marco Cima – Creative Director and Founder of Marsèll

The design of the shop reflects the forms and finishes of Marsèll through a scrupulous balancing of elements to create a timeless space. Might it be described as experimental? Retro-futurist? It matters little. The thinking behind it has gone into making an environment in which to contextualise both product and brand and which encapsulates the company’s entire philosophy, unclassifiable since conception, in a journey that now spans over twenty years of history.

“This is an important moment. For the first time, we will enter into direct dialogue with the people who are interested in what we do.” Marco Cima – Creative Director and Founder of Marsèll