Profound Influence
How brands are building cultural venues for cities
We’ve recently explored how retail spaces can be places of wonder and spontaneity by incorporating art and the communities that host them. Retail spaces, however, can hold much more than that. In fact, we might need to rethink the prolonged cultural influences of retail spaces.
Fondazione Prada, a branch of the fashion house dedicated to contemporary art and culture, has a ticketed space in Milan. Designed by OMA, it is a unique, four-dimensional, multisensory experience offering permanent and temporary installations and exhibitions, cinema, a learning space for children, retail, food, events, and even Spotify Playlists. In its mission statement, the foundation identifies itself as a cultural institution, embracing “the idea that culture is deeply useful and necessary as well as attractive and engaging.”
More profoundly than changing trends, culture takes notes from the core values of civilization, and it takes time and effort to grow the cultural dimension in places. Prada isn’t the only brand that moves inward to influence how we live and experience the world. Gucci has its own museum and dining space, Gucci Garden. LVMH’s La Samaritaine just reopened in June, coming back not only with stores and pop-ups, but also an art gallery, a hotel, a restaurant, and The Factory, a space for artistic expressions. Tours are available for culturally minded, architecture-loving visitors.
The cultural approach to retail spaces is not limited to the fashion world. Also in June, Apple opened a new store in the historic Tower Theatre in downtown L.A. and launched Apple Creative Studios, a global initiative that mentors aspiring creative talents and offers public sessions on topics such as music, film, photography, and design. As boundaries around the traditional idea of retail blur, cultural opportunities will continue to grow.
Image: Apple