July 6, 2020: Alaïa is set to reopen on Friday its Petite Boutique concept store on 5 Rue de Moussy in Paris. The shop, which closed temporarily closed two years ago, will offer the luxury fashion brand’s past collections, as well as pieces that have been donated by friends of the house, according to FN’s sister publication WWD. Profits from the sale of the latter will go to Imagine, a research institute centered on providing care about and education on genetic diseases. (Designer Azzedine Alaïa himself had worked with the center for almost a decade.)
July 2, 2020: Bottega Veneta has debuted its latest pop-up concept. The Invisible Store, which opened Wednesday at commercial complex Plaza 66 in Shanghai, spans more than 1,080 square feet and mirrors the other stores in the mall’s atrium through its reflective facade. Inside, the brand presents its pre-fall 2020 collection for both men and women, from ready-to-wear to shoes and accessories. The shop will be open through July 19.
Big Retail Moves From the Last Six Months
Feb. 25, 2020: Paris-based fashion and music label Maison Kitsuné has debuted its first pop-up store in Los Angeles. The 600-square-foot shop was designed by co-creative director Masaya Kuroki and features walls painted in stark white, with industrial metallic brass panels, raw flooring and ochre tones in reference to the brand’s signature fox-patch color palette. Open through July, the shop will also host experiential events, including community-driven events and the brand’s Sunset Series, with drinks and DJ performances every second Thursday of the month.
Jan. 30, 2020: Saks Fifth Avenue has confirmed the closure on Jan. 31 of its men’s store at Brookfield Place in New York City. The store, in the high-end mall at the World Financial Center, will close a year after parent company Hudson’s Bay Co. shuttered the retailer’s women’s shop in the same mall. The outpost, which opened in February 2017, spans 16,750 square feet on a single floor at 250 Vesey St. HBC also shared plans to retain the space, adding that it “is in the process of developing plans for its future use.” An announcement is expected in the coming months.
Jan. 23, 2020: Fleet Feet is growing its presence in Texas with the opening of stores in Plano and San Antonio. The first location is set to open in March in The Forum at Olympia Parkway retail center in San Antonio, becoming the third store in that city for the retailer. It will be followed by the April opening of another store in the Preston Towne Crossing, a retail center of Plano, the first location in the Dallas area for Fleet Feet. This will bring the store count in Texas to 12.
