The Miami Design District Welcomes Balenciaga’s Largest US Flagship Boutique
Photo Credit: Noua Unu Studio
Ahead of the craziness of Art Basel in Miami, Balenciaga has opened the doors to its latest location in the heart of Miami Design District’s (MDD) Paradise Plaza, housing men’s and women’s collections in the same space.
Impressively, the two-story, 8,487-square foot flagship is the largest Balenciaga store in the United States to date, and in true Demna fashion, showcases the brand’s experiential Raw Architecture concept, in which codes of luxury retail are reevaluated and interiors are designed with respect to existing structural elements.
The concept was conceived to question the nature of authenticity with design details like simulated corrosion, rough edges, and Art Deco-inspired flooring, reminiscent of Miami’s historic architecture, that is chipped and peeling away, evoking the passage of time. The unique concept for the store’s aesthetic plays an incredibly cool contrast with its neighboring MDD tenants that feature polished stones wrapped in rich velvet.
Photo Credit: Noua Unu StudioPhoto Credit: Noua Unu Studio
Subsequently, Balenciaga products stand in an atemporal condition, not associated with any specific contingency. Men’s and Women’s ready-to-wear, shoes, bags, accessories, jewelry, and eyewear, as well as new pieces and colors can be found exclusively at the MDD flagship. And, just in time for Art Basel, an original work by Swedish-born, Copenhagen-based visual artist, Charlotte Thrane, will be installed as part of Balenciaga’s Art in Stores series. Made of locally sourced, upcycled mattresses and cushions, they set up dialogues between the intimate associations of these objects and the structures on which they are forced to lean.
BALENCIAGA is located at 151 NE 41st Street Miami, Florida.