Acqua di Parma Dubai is the location for the brand’s first boutique in the Middle East. The iconic Italian brand brings to the Dubai Mall the trademark elegance and spirit of spontaneity that have turned Acqua di Parma into the symbol of Italian lifestyle all over the world.
After the European boutiques in Milan, Paris and Rome, the first American boutique in Miami and the two Chinese boutiques in Shanghai and Nanjing, the Acqua di Parma Dubai opening represents an important strategic step for the brand.
The Middle East geographical area has been showing double-digit growth for some years. It was therefore the right time to bring our beloved Italian maison here too, says Laura Burdese, CEO and President of Acqua di Parma.
The opening in the Dubai Mall of a store devoted to luxury perfumery is the perfect opportunity to encapsulate the warmth and refined elegance that have characterised the brand since its inception in a single space.
Acqua di Parma is so well loved by its Middle Eastern clientele that we wanted to create a place where they could enjoy a unique, personal and immersive brand experience, continues Laura Burdese.
A place to welcome our clients where all the different elements would radiate light and warmth, and where all the services on offer would make it possible to recreate the authentic and sophisticated Italian lifestyle. And we certainly managed it. Acqua di Parma Dubai is our Italian home in the Middle East, a Mediterranean ray of sun which today shines also in Dubai.
The Dubai Mall, one of the world’s largest shopping malls with 80 million visitors a year and rising, is being expanded with the addition of a new Perfumery & Co district.
This is an exclusive area devoted entirely to the most prestigious international perfume brands and here the Acqua di Parma boutique finds its natural home. A sophisticated 50 sqm space located on the second floor of Fashion Avenue, close to the spectacular fountain that points the way to the Perfumery & Co district.
With its enveloping design, use of precious natural materials and warm colours dominated by bright Parma yellow, the brand’s trademark colour, every element of the concept conveys the quintessential nature of the brand’s radiant Italian style.
“It has been incredibly exciting to work on this project”, says architect Nathalie Ryan of Kirei Studio. “I am sure that the Acqua di Parma Dubai boutique will lead Italian elegance into a new and dynamic era of sophisticated lightness”.
The theme of brightness, the leitmotif running through the new boutique, is immediately apparent in the store’s exterior with the alternating of timber elements and textile cladding clearly calling to mind the rays of the sun. The precious walnut coverings take on the appearance of a modern installation: on one side, bottles of Colonia, the brand’s symbolic fragrance since 1916, are elegantly arranged inside a lit up niche created in the shape of the iconic Art Deco bottle, while on the other side, the brand’s unmistakable hat boxes are stylishly displayed on shelves.
A calm and relaxed atmosphere pervades the store’s interior with its winding spaces and soft, rounded contours, characterised by a warm, tactile and personal style which culminates in the intimate and elegant Barberia: a Barber’s area peculiar of every Acqua di Parma boutique and the jewel in the crown of all the services that the brand has created for its male customers.
The furnishings in the entrance area have been designed to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere from the moment you step inside the boutique. Comfortable armchairs in yellow Parma leather are stylishly set off by cushions in beautiful Loro Piana fabric. At the centre of the store is a small, elegant table, such as you might find in the most stylish Italian living rooms. Bright, Parma yellow inserts peak out from the stunning honey-coloured grooved panels in walnut wood that line the walls.
The fine Rezina textile coverings of the interior walls highlighting the natural weft of the fabric also come in trademark Parma yellow. The oak floors have a subtle ivory tinge while a charming, purposely uneven, central ringed chandelier picks up the circular shape of the hat boxes in a nod to the perfect imperfection that makes each and every Acqua di Parma product a unique, handcrafted expression of a vital tradition.
Shelves, niches and small tables create dynamic geometries in a fluid display of Acqua di Parma’s myriad worlds, from Colonie to Le Nobili fragrances, from the Blu Mediterraneo collection to the Collezione Barbiere, Ingredient and Tournée Collections, and the Home Fragrance candles.
The interior decor plays around with candles and accessories in a creative mix resembling objets d’art intermingled with other decorative elements, all in Parma yellow, such as the miniature Fiat 500 or the collection of elegant books published by Assouline for Acqua di Parma.
Stepping into an Acqua di Parma boutique is a gratifying experience, where the focus is on details. Male visitors to the Acqua di Parma Dubai boutique can take advantage of the services offered in the Barberia, a cosy and stylish spot where they can indulge in the ritual of a traditional Italian shave. The Barberia is accessed through a magnificently decorated doorway made of stunning decorated glass engraved with bright rays of sun dipped in golden tones.
The same decoration is replicated on the ceiling. On the floor, Sicis Mosaic rugs, especially made for Acqua di Parma, combine perfectly with the honey-coloured walnut furnishings, the large circular mirror with leather frame and the unmistakable barber’s chair. Every detail has been carefully thought out to ensure a shaving experience that is in true keeping with the service in an authentic Italian barber’s shop.
Among the services greeting visitors there is the relaxing hand massage “Just Breathe”, inspired by the blissful moods of the Italian Mediterranean.
In this atmosphere of pure relaxation, Acqua di Parma presents its personal concept of the art of gifting. Its iconic hat boxes can be personalised with elegant hot-stamped monograms and decorations. As the epitome of authentic, individual style, Acqua di Parma lets you create the perfect gift.
To celebrate the opening of this new and prestigious boutique, Acqua di Parma has created a special edition of its iconic Colonia fragrance, dedicated to Dubai, and a new version of its famous Jumbo Cube Candle with the sensual scent of Colonia Ambra, one of the most appreciated fragrances in the Ingredient Collection.
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