Here’s What Happened When Lucas Zanotto Took Over Starbucks Reserve Roastery Milan
For the launch of his new ‘The House of Coffee’ collection with Starbucks.
Last week, Milan’s Piazza Cordusio turned green as bright lights and animated neon signs illuminated Starbucks Reserve Roastery in celebration of the brand’s new collection with Lucas Zanotto.
Seen in Hypebeast’s latest campaign with Gene Gallagher, the lifestyle range comes as the first drop in Starbucks’ latest project, The House of Coffee. Featuring a selection of casual garments, coffee equipment and stationery as well as high-end pieces from Nordica, K-Way, and Poldo Dog Couture, it showcases the ways in which the new hub is intersecting culture with intention and authenticity.
Marking its arrival, the launch event – which kicked off Milan Fashion Week – doubled up as a dedicated exhibition in the flagship. A place where the art of coffee roastery comes to life, the historic building provided a grand stage for the collection with its luxurious terrazzo tiles and marble-rich interior. Alongside the rails and mannequin displays, life-size sculptures of Zanotto’s cup illustrations were placed at the entrance to welcome Milan’s fashion community.
As guests browsed the collection, Zanotto spoke to Hypebeast about its creation. “The collaboration started with a single animation,” he reflected. “My work is based on characters, bringing human features to inanimate objects, so for this, I focused on Starbucks’ different cup sizes and introduced eyes to the lid. It’s a very simple play on that.”
Like any great collection, he attributes the successful outcome to the wider team that helped bring it to fruition, including The House of Coffee curator Sarah Andelman. Chatting to Hypebeast on the night, she said, “We developed the collection by thinking about the coffee experience and the objects involved in that.” Adding, “I found it an interesting opportunity because [the brand] gave me the chance to take over the space and find a new way to approach the world of Starbucks.”
It wasn’t long before the party was in full swing. Joining Zanotto and Andelman, Gene Gallagher stopped by to check out the music from local DJs Davide Dev and Marvely. Meanwhile, a unique menu of drinks was on offer – from an emerald-green cocktail with hints of mint, ginger and coffee to a decadent take on the popular espresso martini.
With excitement building for the next The House of Coffee collaboration, Andelman shared an exclusive of what to expect next. “In February, we will launch a collection during Fashion Week with 12 designers based in Milan. They will put their spin on the apron, creating another story separate from this collaboration with Lucas Zanotto.” Eyes gleaming with pride, she remarked, “This is just the beginning.”
The new Starbucks x Lucas Zanotto collection is available to shop for six weeks, exclusively at Starbucks Roastery Reserve.
