Architecture is in fashion. There is no doubt that there is a strong link between these two fields, especially when it comes to working with proportions, volumes and materials.
The relationship between designers and architects is expressed in various forms, one of which concerns the interior design of flagship stores, often entrusted to architect celebrities. Designed by Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas – two among the most well-known Italian architects– the Armani store in New York was conceived as a large fluid space with no clear separations. The showroom occupies the first three floors of two buildings located between the central Fifth Avenue and 56th Street, and boasts a striking swirling staircase, which represents the only connecting element between the ground floor, second and third floors. Tod’s building in Tokyo is one of the best examples of how the work of architects in fashion can lead to results loved by both critics and the public. On the façade it presents a very interesting reinterpretation of the elm trees on the streets of Omotesando. The author of the project is architect Toyo Ito, who created an evocative, organic and dynamic architecture by interweaving glass and concrete.
Saint Laurent’s creative director, Hedi Slimane, personally designed the marbled and mirrored interiors of his stores. His interiors inspired by Art Deco are based on the principles of the Union of modern artists, an artistic and architectural movement that was prevalent in France during the first half of the 20thcentury and supported the simplicity and quality of materials. A monochromatic palette of marble and cement runs through the space, which is minimally furnished with modernist designs by Jacques Adnet, René Herbst and Marcel Breuer, among others. “The concept and architecture, designed by Hedi, are based on a minimalist translation of the techniques and materials of the French modernist movement,” the brand said.
