The flurry of events and marketing activities organised for the occasion underlined the importance Prada gives to the reopening of its shop within the Plaza 66 mall in Shanghai, one of the most prestigious shopping centres in the East.
The store, spread over three levels, is one of the brand’s most important. It stands out not only due to its imposing and prominent position within the mall, but also for its unique shop front with an appearance that seems to change as one looks at it, inspired by the kinetic art of Carlos Cruz-Diez, the Venezuelan artist based in France held in high esteem by Prada.
The three floors, with their luxurious yet intimate environments and refined, small rooms – the red room, the circular room and the green room – provide a first glimpse of the new image of Prada’s stores. The new look features new Borsani armchairs made of green velvet and designed exclusively for Prada, green marble, scratched metal panels and large black and white chequerboard rugs in a range of shapes. These give the rooms a homely feel and recall the marble floor, reproduced on the ground floor of the store, of Prada’s historic shop in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan.
On Thursday 7 July, following the presentation of the venue to the press, Prada’s most important clients were given a preview of the new rooms and the collection, and the store’s first day ended with an exclusive dinner at the restaurant The Nest. Friday 8 July, meanwhile, was dedicated to private meetings with the shop’s best customers, before culminating in a cocktail party to celebrate the shop’s opening, attended by some of the most prominent figures from Chinese society and the art world, including Lin Tianmiao, Wan Gongxin, Zhang Enli, Liu Xiang Cheng, Du Juan, Liu Wen, Zhang Zilin, Jiang Shuying, Lv Yan, Liao Fan, Jing Boran, Zhao Lei and Guli Nazha.