Marking its UK debut, luxury Italian shoe brand Casadei opens a 110 sq m flagship today in London’s Mayfair. Realised in a warm palette of velvet, peach blossom marble, silver brass and briar root, the new store is the work of architect Marco Costanzi, who also worked with creative director Cesare Casadei on the 58-year-old brand’s Milan and Rome boutiques.
‘I wanted to achieve a welcoming and comfortable but luxurious space,’ says Costanzi of the store’s opulent interior. ‘I worked with some new materials in addition to the ones used in the other stores to make this flagship unique.’
Comprising two rooms, the flagship welcomes visitors into the main store space through double silver brass-framed glass doors. Here, backdropped by alternating panels of briar root and mirror, Casadei’s shoes line the space like works of art on floating marble shelves. In the centre, enveloping armchairs upholstered in petroleum and taupe velvet provide a place for trying on.
At the rear of the space, just beyond a gravity-defying ‘Eccentrico’ table by Angelo Mangiarotti, a discreet passageway finished in chocolate marble and punctuated by two silvery display alcoves leads the way to a dazzling velvet-lined space where the most exclusive collections are displayed. ‘I pulled together materials with different texture, reflection and warmth so that the space can embrace any shoe collection,’ explains Costanzi.
As well as a selection of exclusive styles available only in London ahead of their global release next year, the new Albemarle Street outpost will showcase the full evening, daywear, ‘blade’ and bridal collections.
