CHINA FOCUS: Global brand ambassador Hu Ge joined actors Jerry Yan, Yuan Quan and Yuan Hong last week to celebrate the opening of Giorgio Armani’s latest flagship boutique atop luxury shopping complex SKP Wuhan.
Occupying 6,800 square feet across three levels with custom decorative details created for the Wuhan location, the store marks a major step in the brand’s expansion in central China.
The ground floor carries the brand’s women’s ready-to-wear, accessories, footwear, eveningwear, eyewear and Armani Privé fragrances. It also features a client lounge, fine-jewelry displays and private fitting rooms. The second floor houses the men’s collections, including formalwear and accessories, alongside a made-to-measure tailoring area, Parmigiani watch displays and a private fitting suite.
On the third floor, a dedicated space for exhibitions and brand events is presenting “Giorgio Armani: Geographies of Style.” Running until April, the public-facing show traces how materials, techniques and forms traveled across cultures and helped shape Armani’s design language.
The premise of the exhibition, according to the brand, is that Italian style was shaped not in isolation, but through centuries of exchange.
Silk, for example, traveled from China to Italy, while velvet was refined in Venice and Genoa. Visitors are able to follow these encounters through materials, construction and colors as they enter into a dialogue with Armani’s designs, with archival pieces on display for up-close observation.
The experience also highlights the designer’s approach to tailoring: removing padding, stiffening and lining from the traditional jacket allowed garments to drape from the shoulders and move with the wearer.
The opening followed the WWD x SKP Global Fashion & Beauty Summit, held Thursday at the Marriott Wuchang, where Armani chief executive officer Giuseppe Marsocci reflected on the founder’s legacy, the company’s continued engagement with China, and announced a three-year partnership supporting China’s Golden Rooster Awards, which is scheduled to hold its 37th edition in Xiamen in mid-November.