A conscious fashion label practices what it preaches with its Shanghai flagship
Chinese eco-conscious fashion brand Icicle turned to Milan-based architect Andrea Tognon for a concept store that celebrates the relationship between humanity and nature. A combination of clean lines, a soft colour palette and enduring materials, the interior was developed and constructed over two years in Shanghai’s Grand Gateway 66 shopping mall.
While Icicle has been around since 1997 and has a portfolio of over 270 stores in China, it wasn’t until 2017 that the label opened its first flagship, in Nanjing. In 2018, the group bought heritage French fashion house Carven and, the next year, opened its first international flagship in Paris. The opening of the 485-sq-m Shanghai flagship, which houses womenswear, menswear, accessories and a special collection, signifies Icicle’s upward line of vision.
Tognon, who has previously collaborated with fashion retailers including LVMH, Céline and Max Mara, focused on expressing Icicle’s brand philosophy ‘Made in Nature’ in the Shanghai flagship. Strategizing how to achieve an organic harmony between visitors, the space and the products, Tognon divided the space by three fluid curvilinear wall units. Natural materials including marble, solid walnut, glazed porcelain and concrete define the space: the architect crafted four marble tables and a deep blue porcelain table especially for Icicle. Greenery complements the interior, and energy-saving LED lighting is installed.
‘When we use natural materials, we need to use the beauty that earth gives us in a conscious way,’ says Tognon. ‘We live in a crucial time and sustainability is very important. We must try our best to be sustainable, even knowing that everything we do costs energy and material.’