A new space in the heart of Brera, Milan for the opening of the first retail store for the “100% made in Italy” Sneaker brand P448 which aims to celebrate the brand’s vision hosting male, female and accessories collections.
In conceiving this project, Piuarch strived to foster the true identity of the brand, making an innovative and unconventional store, developed with attention to details and quality materials. Five window displays with a surface of over 80 sqm cover the corners between the prestigious via Ponte Vetero and via Cusani. The design of the boutique was a result of the collaboration between the world-renowned Italian Architecture Studio Piuarch and P448 creative team- Marco Samorè and Andrea Curti.
Blue color is the common thread that enlightens the store at night, so that it appears as a bright blue object interacting with the urban context, getting out of the traditional store concept, conferring new meanings and functions to the space. The interior design brings out the nature of the products by creating an urban environment, which connects diverse aspects of P448, unconventional and yet sophisticated, following the free spirited inner soul of the brand.
The urban and industrial identity is predominant in the entrance, with neon art and a double-colored playground floor that welcomes people, evoking the street and urban context as well as the main materials used in producing shoes, rubber.
This multitude of materials and textures creates diverse wefts and patterns of the surfaces that highlight the product contours while keeping a plain and straightforward linearity.
A mix & match of raw materials such as metal mesh and aluminum, that are counter-posed to iridescent films and shimmering textiles, as well as a statuesque blue marble, creating a unique contrast with the eclecticism and modernity of the shoes. This contrast also reflects the experimental usage of materials of the brand.
Frosted glass and ultra dark blue lacquering are used together with the natural light to lend transparency and a looking glass effect, further enhanced by a blue-colored-mirrored multi-functional room that fully expresses the strong identity of the brand at first sight, by evoking the iconic P448’s electric blue.
