Bottega Veneta will open its latest Milan store on January 30. The new space is situated in the historic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping gallery in central Milan, a landmark location set between the city’s iconic Duomo and world-renowned Teatro alla Scala.
The two-story store, designed by Creative Director Matthieu Blazy, is distinguished by three essential elements: glass, Italian walnut wood, and green Verde Saint Denis marble. The combination picks up and evolves the aesthetic of the brand’s Avenue Montaigne flagship in Paris, which opened in September last year, blending traditional Italian materials with a modernist sensibility, and honoring the brand’s commitment to innovative craft.
The design centers on geometric grids, with industrial square glass blocks integrated in the walls and ceiling, framed by walnut wood panels. The floor continues the grid arrangement, with walnut paneling framing Verde Saint Denis marble. Walnut also distinguishes the store’s architectural curved stairway, as well as tables, display cases, and shelving. Throughout the space, soft textures are found in leather seating and wool carpets, while modular shelving units build a sense of discovery and play.
“There are different experiences of space in the store,” said Matthieu Blazy. “I wanted to express the idea of a domestic interior referring to Italian modernist architecture that contrasts with the aesthetic of a spaceship. And to capture the intimacy and the imagination of getting dressed.”
The Galleria store solidifies Bottega Veneta’s presence in Milan’s most desirable shopping areas, joining existing locations on Via Montenapoleone and Via Sant ’Andrea. The store will stock Bottega Veneta leather goods, shoes, and women’s ready-to-wear.
To celebrate the opening, Bottega Veneta will pre-launch three key looks from its Summer ’24 collection exclusively in the Galleria store: Kalimero Cha Cha and Città bags in signature Intrecciato, and the Cha Cha shoe. In addition, the store will open with a limited edition of five unique Kalimero Città bags in python, as well as 15 ceramic handle Sardine bags. Each Sardine is numbered with an interior brass plate.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II was designed in 1861 by architect Giuseppe Mengoni and constructed between 1865 and 1877. The impressive neo-classical structure consists of two glass-vaulted arcades, intersecting in a central octagonal space, topped with a glass dome. In addition to several luxury retailers, the Galleria houses high-end restaurants, cafés, and bars, including some of the oldest establishments in Milan.
