WINTER ESCAPE: Antonioli is making a resort push by unveiling a pop-up store in the Maldives, with a little modern fashion history lesson to boot.
The Italian retailer — which boasts flagships in Milan, Lugano, Switzerland, and Ibiza, Spain — has opened a temporary space inside the Patina Maldives luxury hospitality venue on Fari Islands, part of the North Malé atoll.
The retail space is integrated into the resort’s premises — the first of its kind for Antonioli — and is flanked by “Style Journey,” an exhibition spotlighting silhouettes that have defined contemporary fashion in recent years.
The display showcases ready-to-wear items from 10 designers that “define the visual language of contemporary fashion. Each look is not only a garment, but a statement — curated here in dialogue with the Maldivian setting, where architecture, nature and culture merge into an atmosphere of rare beauty,” the retailer said in a statement.
These include Loewe’s crafty surrealism; the convergence of couture and disruption seen at Balenciaga; Simone Rocha’s subversive romanticism; the avant-garde movement championed by Junya Watanabe; poetic draping and tailoring as seen at Yohji Yamamoto; the modern take on Parisian chic with Saint Laurent; Prada’s intellectual elegance; Rick Owens’ experimental shapes; The Row’s quiet luxury approach, as well as Ann Demeulemeester’s lyrical tailoring and minimalism. The latter brand is owned by Antonioli Group, the retailer’s parent.
The exhibited brands will also form the backbone of the Maldivian pop-up’s retail offering, which remains open through the end of October.
Inside “Style Journey,” a fashion exhibition by Antonioli at the Patina Maldives luxury resort.
Courtesy of Antonioli
Patina Maldives on Fari Islands is the inaugural property of Patina Hotels & Resorts, the latest hospitality brand under the Capella Hotel Group. It was designed by Brazilian architect Marcio Kogan.
As reported, in addition to its storied flagship in Milan’s Navigli area, Antonioli has previously experimented with holiday destinations, opening its first boutique in Ibiza in 2016. Earlier this year, it added a second outpost on the Spanish island inside Ibiza Gallery, a recently opened luxury retail and lifestyle complex.