R/EVOLUTION 101
When Milan turns into the world’s design capital during this week’s Salone del Mobile, car and design enthusiasts will have a very good reason to stroll through Via Montenaopleone, the city’s high-end fashion district. 101 years after its foundation, the Italian luxury brand Larusmiani is opening the doors to it’s much anticipated, all-new boutique in Via Verri 10, and the mythical Alfa Romeo Carabo is starring as the very first car to be displayed in the new location. After all, the changing blue-chip cars and design prototypes in Larusmiani’s store window have become a Milanese institution, making it the most photographed storefront in the city, and the green UFO that makes an appearance this week might be one of the most relevant concept cars ever built. Designed by Marcello Gandini for Bertone and unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 1968, the scissor-doored Alfa Romeo Carabo is considered to be the archetype of the wedge design movement of the era and the predecessor to the Lamborghini Countach.
The Automotive Gallery
The Larusmiani brand is closely linked to the automotive world. After all, its president Guglielmo Miani is an avid car collector and trend-setter in the collector car scene with his FuoriConcorso event series. So, it does not come as a surprise that the new Larusmiani boutique is not just a temple dedicated to the gentleman’s lifestyle, selling the finest clothing and accessories “Handmade in Italy”. The store itself features a permanent exhibition space called The Automotive Gallery that promises to feature many more exciting cars and to pay tribute to automotive culture in new and surprising ways. While the retail concept was conceived by long-time collaborator Sirio Barillaro, the store interior was designed by Benedetto Camerana, a renowned architect from Turin responsible for the renovations of the Alfa Romeo headquarters and museum, the exhibition layout of the Ferrari Museum and the hanging gardens on top of Fiat’s Lingotto test track.
Driven by a passion for excellence
"I am excited about this project, which represents a new stage in the history of Larusmiani", said Guglielmo Miani on the evening of the grand opening. "The new boutique has been conceived as a place to meet and exchange experiences activated by a single engine: the passion for excellence. Starting from tradition, our imagination has in fact expanded in a constant search toward a style capable of combining heritage and innovation in the sign of absolute quality and savoir faire 'of the handmade' inspired by distinctiveness: a world that embraces clothing and accessories, up to an exhibition space dedicated to very rare or unique cars".
Inspiration from the automotive world
Architect Benedetto Camerana added "I am also thrilled to have worked with Guglielmo Miani on the project for the new Larusmiani boutique, a first time for me in the fashion retail. The conversation with a different world and with Sirio Barillaro also brings an absolute innovation in the Milan retail scene: The Automotive Gallery and the display approach that characterize the new boutique take ideas and solutions from the design culture in which I have always worked, importing materials, technologies and details from exhibit and automotive world reworked to create a completely new aesthetic".
Handmade in Italy
Coinciding with the exhibition of the Alfa Romeo Carabo in The Automotive Gallery, Larusmiani has launched a bespoke ‘Handmade in Italy’ capsule collection inspired by the concept car that includes a hand-painted coin tray, as well as T-shirts and outerwear. The Carabo will be on display until early May, when the concept car will head to the headquarters of Larusmiani for a special collaboration between Alfa Romeo and the photography artist Riocam. The next car to show at the new store is still a secret, but if you are in Milan this week for Salone del Mobile or anytime soon, don’t forget to add the new Larusmiani boutique to your list. In the meantime, you can browse a selection of Larusmiani’s greatest items in the CD Shop.
