Balenciaga Opens First Storefront in India
The outpost adopts the Kering-owned brand’s classic “raw architecture” retail concept.
Balenciaga has cut the ribbon on its first-ever standalone storefront in India.
The retail outpost, which is located in Mumbai’s Jio World Plaza, opens as luxury brands look to India for financial prosperity in Asia while China’s economy slows. Balenciaga, which is owned by French conglomerate Kering, will house its men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections, accessories, shoes, bags, eyewear and jewelry inside the shop.
The ground-floor store adopts Balenciaga’s signature “raw architecture” retail concept, which strips the unit down to its bare bones of ventilation ducts and pared-back interiors. Per the brand, its corroded approach to retail design looks to “respect existing structures, exposing their inner workings and accumulated histories. The resulting stores inherently use fewer virgin materials.”
Elsewhere, the outpost is finished with brushed concrete floors, white walls, metal shelving, aluminum tables and industrial light fixtures. Hanging racks and faux leather benches, meanwhile, are patinated and worn to look like warehouse fixtures.
Notably, Jio World Plaza is a new shopping location in the Bandra Kurla Complex. According to WWD, it hosts a number of other high-end fashion imprints, including Cartier, Burberry, Bottega Veneta, Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Jimmy Choo and Rimowa.
Take a l0ok inside Balenciaga’s first store in India above.
In more fashion news, RIMOWA revealed its “Distinct” leather luggage line.
