Paul Smith to cut a dash in Milan

Paul Smith is launching an Italian flagship store in Milan in the spring set in an 18th century palace. Designed by Sophie Hicks Architects, Paul Smith at the Palazzo Gallarati Scotti builds on the designer’s UK flagship store at Westbourne House in London’s Notting Hill, which offers an eclectic range of Paul Smith merchandise.

Each flagship store must have its own individual character and must reflect the character of the city in which it is located, Smith says. “I am really against what is happening with the main [fashion] groups, where everything is made to look the same and it ends up being really boring,” he adds.

The 275m2 shop floor is divided into eight rooms covering the designers’ main product lines, such as men’s suits and shoes, with corridors and a mezzanine area for second string lines.

The building features doubleheight rooms and a cloistered courtyard with one-off pieces of furniture scattered throughout. Rather than using paint and paper, the plaster on the walls has been coloured a “pinkish terracotta”. Lighting has been created by Arup Engineers using huge light boxes to achieve even illumination throughout.

Palazzo Gallarati Scotti is the designers’ 264th store.