Fashion brands are making shopping great again. In the past, much of the novelty of shopping at a fashion store came from the clothes—encountering them for the first time, feeling their fabrics and textures, trying them on for size. Of course, following the rise of online fashion retailers, it seemed like those things no longer mattered as much as the thrill of adding to cart, checking out, and unboxing your order as soon as it arrived at your doorstep. Now, brick-and-mortar fashion stores are back—and better than ever.
In recent years, luxury fashion brands have mastered the art of creating unforgettable (and Instagrammable) experiences in real life. We’ve seen brands do everything from taking over beach clubs to opening their own cafés, bars and restaurants. In that vein, many fashion houses have transformed their boutiques and flagship stores to offer something more than just the joy of shopping for clothes and accessories. Fashion brands are elevating the luxury shopping experience with art, architecture and design. A store is no longer just a store, but a physical extension of a fashion brand’s universe.
Ahead, we spotlight some of the most stylish and immersive fashion stores around the world that are worth the trip.
Hermès
Via delgi Strozzi, Florence
In the birthplace of the Renaissance, Hermès has set up a beacon of sophisticated design. The French luxury brand opened the doors to a two-floor store on Via degli Strozzi in Florence, in a building dating back to 1578. The store’s design, created by French architecture agency RDAI, honours the building’s history: elements of its Renaissance-era façade, including its vast windows, have been restored.
Inside, more beautiful touches abound. The store greets you with Hermès’s gleaming ex-libris in metal on the floor. The main room, housing the maison’s silk scarves and fashion jewellery, is marked with the Faubourg pattern, while the beauty room is lined with terracotta-glazed tiles. Head up the majestic spiral staircase, featuring a leather-covered handrail, to discover even more of Hermès’s women’s offerings. The window displays—always a highlight of Hermès boutiques—currently showcase the works of Italian designer Andrea Mancuso, who recreated Florence’s architectural landmarks and Hermès’s horse and carriage motif in rattan.
Dior
Ploenchit district, Bangkok
Judging by the photos alone, you might mistake Dior’s new concept store in Bangkok for the brand’s flagship on 30 Avenue Montaigne. While its façade does reference the iconic Paris boutique’s architecture, the Dior Gold House sets itself apart with its golden exterior, as its name suggests. It is also surrounded by verdant gardens, honouring founder Christian Dior’s love for them. Inside, visitors can discover unique art installations by Thai artists and designers, including a stool with an imprint of an elephant’s footprint, created by Boonserm Premthada, and a golden recreation of a tuk-tuk vehicle made by Saran Yen Panya. Over at the Café Dior, guests can dine on sweet treats and cocktails conceived by chef Mauro Colagreco, against a spectacular bamboo backdrop created by Korakot Aromdee.
Balenciaga
Taikoo Li Sanlitun, Beijing
Balenciaga’s four-storey flagship in Taikoo Li Sanlitun, Beijing, is a sight to behold. It’s impressive enough in figures: the Balenciaga store spans 1,204 square metres, making it the largest one in China. The monolith features the French fashion brand’s raw, industrial aesthetic, which was first conceptualised by former creative director Demna and executed by the Berlin-based architecture studio Gonzalez Haase AAS. The store’s clear, glazed exterior, concealed with weathered textiles, is a nod to the curtain wall façades of Beijing’s office buildings in the 2000s.
Inside, the store boasts rave-worthy interiors with its textured concrete walls and exposed ceilings. The rooms, including a private shopping suite on the top floor, are furnished with recycled leather seats and aluminum shelves. Relief from the stark, monochromatic spaces can be found in a showcase of haute couture creations from Balenciaga’s archives, including a jewel green evening gown by founder Cristóbal Balenciaga.
Loewe
Jing’an District, Shanghai
Anyone who finds themselves on the intersection of Shanghai’s Nanjing West Road and Changde Road will come upon a giant golden box—Loewe’s largest flagship store in Asia. Casa Loewe Shanghai, which opened its doors earlier this year, is intentionally designed to resemble an art collector’s home. This one in particular is lined with handmade gold ceramic tiles, and furnished with antique Spanish ceramic vessels; Isamu Noguchi’s sculptural paper lamps; and wool rugs that reproduce British textile artist John Allen’s colourful tapestries, among other things.
Loewe also uses the store space to spotlight international artisans and artists. On display are a leather basket by the 73-year-old Japanese master craftsman, Hafu Matsumoto, as well as a bronze sculpture by Chinese artist Dong Han, a finalist of the 2023 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize. Equally intriguing creations by other Loewe Foundation Craft Prize honourees will be featured, including a stoneware sculpture by Japanese ceramicist Takayuki Sakiyama and woven horsehair spheres by Dahye Jong. Even with all that art and furniture, the store has plenty of room for Loewe’s full range of offerings, including womenswear, menswear, bags, accessories and home scents.
Louis Vuitton
57th Street, New York City
Louis Vuitton doesn’t do things in half measures, and its temporary store in New York City is proof. While it refurbishes its flagship on Fifth Avenue, the French luxury brand is welcoming clients to its new store on 57th Street. The building, which boasts five storeys in all, is the brand’s largest store in the US. You’ll get a sense of its size right from the atrium, which features four towers of stacked Louis Vuitton trunks, with each tower standing at 16 metres tall. Aside from those sculptures, which were created by OMA architect Shohei Shigematsu, the store is also adorned with patterns made by Louis Vuitton’s collaborators, including artists Yayoi Kusama, Takashi Murakami and Stephen Sprouse.
The store is the first in the US to house Louis Vuitton’s luxury chocolate shop, Le Chocolat Maxime Frédéric at Louis Vuitton, as well as the dining concept, Le Café Louis Vuitton. The latter, which also doubles as a library, sets the stage for Louis Vuitton’s new “culinary community” concept, which offers emerging local chefs the opportunity to be mentored by Arnaud Donckele and Maxime Frédéric. But back to shopping: Louis Vuitton’s wide range of offerings are located on the first, second and third floor. Up on the fifth floor, clients can enjoy an intimate shopping experience at the private salons—one of which leads to a secret loft-inspired room.
Polène
Champs-Élysées, Paris
Much to the relief of anyone who has endured the long lines outside Polène’s Richelieu store, the French brand has opened another Paris outpost at the famed Champs-Élysées district. The flagship store, standing at two stories high, houses Polène’s beloved leather bags, accessories and jewellery. Visitors will also be delighted by the store’s interiors, which was designed by WGNB, the South Korean architectural firm behind Polène’s stores in Seoul and London.
Some striking touches include a table that was specially commissioned by Polène to showcase its jewellery. The table, created by French artist and architect Clémentine Debaere-Lewandowski, is adorned with 500 white stoneware pieces; each one is imprinted with the texture of rocks found near the brand’s workshops in Ubrique, Spain. Another nod to Polène’s craft heritage can be found on the tabletops, which are covered with leather off-cuts from the brand’s archives. Head up the spiral staircase to the second floor, where you will encounter Marianna Ladreyt’s impressive Magnum couch. The curved sofa was entirely handcrafted by the French designer using interwoven leather tubes. Between Polène’s leather bags and the store’s leather furnishings, there is plenty of artistry to admire.
This story first appeared in the May 2025 issue of GRAZIA Singapore.
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