Two new luxury Malls open in Bejing and Xian: China restarts after the lockdown

Vudafieri-Saverino Partners designs SKP Select interior in two Department Stores in China

The Italian architecture Studio Vudafieri-Saverino Partners has designed the interiors for SKP Select brand inside SKP Department Stores in Bejing and Xian. Tailor-made furnishings create different thematic areas, in the name of style,

China restarts after the health emergency. One sign of the rebirth of the world's biggest luxury market is the completion of two SKP Department Stores in the capital Beijing and the metropolis of Xian. International chain of Department Stores, SKP is the absolute leader in high-end retail in China, hosting brands such as Chanel, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Prada, Gucci, Bulgari and Cartier.

The interior of the SKP Select and footwear areas has been designed by Vudafieri-Saverino Partners. The Milanese architecture Studio - based in Shanghai since 2012, was chosen for its extensive experience in luxury and fashion retail sector, having previously worked for brands such as Delvaux, Pucci, Tod's, Moschino, Sonia Rykiel, Clergerie, Jimmy Choo and Buccellati.

The intervention is spread over 5000 sqm in total - 5 floors in Beijing and 4 in Xian - inside the two Department Stores designed by the London-based architecture Studio Sybarite.

The concept

The aim of the project was to offer customers a shopping experience in line with the value of the brands hosted. Architects Tiziano Vudafieri and Claudio Saverino translated into interior design that sense of sophisticated luxury that is SKP’s hallmark. Each floor of the Department Store (in the areas dedicated to the Select brand and footwear) presents a specific thematic identity, in line with the type of products on sale and the target audience. All environments share a functional, flexible design, able to adapt to an ever-changing variety of labels and products.

The space has been structured in a regular, geometric way. Furniture and partitions, designed by Vudafieri-Saverino Partners, guarantee the layout’s flexibility, dividing up the rooms and creating unexpected corners. Strolling through the sections dedicated to the different brands and collections, customers come upon comfortable lounges, where they can take a break and soak in the warm, friendly atmosphere. The spaces

Vudafieri-Saverino Partners’ intervention focused on the "SKP Select" areas: a selection of women's and men's clothing, lifestyle accessories and household products, each proposed on a different floor of the Department Store, with single-brand corners and shared collections.

Custom-made furniture together with different finishes and materials, give a distinctive identity to each floor, interpreting the overall concept in an ever-changing language. The partitions themselves, a key element of the project, change their characteristics with the thematic areas: they can take the form of transparent display units or of high and closed furniture, covered with decorative wallpaper, fabrics, wood or precious metal mesh. The Men's collection presents a dynamic automotive-inspired design, the Women's is characterised by its more classic and refined furnishings, while the youthful Lifestyle proposals recall an innovative and technological world. A concept that offers visitors a unique experience in each area of the Department Store.

The space dedicated to the Home presents a succession of domestic settings, divided by mobile walls embellished with refined wallpaper. The furnishings, again designed by Vudafieri-Saverino Partners, are inspired by Franco Albini's famous bookcase of the 50s'-60s, one of the icons of Italian design.

In the footwear area, a total of almost 1000 sqm located in the basement of Xian Department Store, the furnishings are characterised by soft lines, warm colours and a limited use of few materials, so as to spotlight the product. The transparent partitions, raised from the ground, allow the different brands to be separated, while maintaining a single open and flexible space. Displays, tables and totems present a simple, linear design: laid out on a number of levels, they create an orderly display, with attention being drawn to the more important products.