10 Corso Como makes its revolution and plants a flag in Paris

10 Corso Como is getting a major facelift, with a completely renovated boutique and several international projects. After restructuring its art gallery and first floor spaces at the beginning of the year, the point of sale, located at ground floor of number 10 Via Corso Como with a surface area of ​​570 square meters, has just reopened. Acquired in September 2020 by the entrepreneur Tiziana Fausti, owner of a prestigious multi-brand store in Bergamo, The Milanese fashion temple, founded in 1991 by Carla Sozzani, unveils its new face with a refined contemporary design.

With the new layout designed by the 2050+ agency of architect Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli, the legendary concept store is turning the page, abandoning its dense spirit of yesteryear as an enchanting bazaar, with pop graphics and installations magical of Kris Ruhs, to transform into an elegant fashion boutique with a more stripped-down and impersonal style. The famous black and white concentric circles designed by the american artistwhich have forged the identity and success of the brand since its inception, only remain in its highly identifiable logo and through the graphic concept of its signature line “10 Corso Como”, composed of design objects, accessories and collaborations with other brands.

“The challenge was to translate in a more contemporary way a concept that has made the history of fashion, but which suffered from almost excessive superpositions. We used a more current code, while maintaining the strong identity of 10 Corso Como linked to art”, explains the CEO of the brand, Gianluca Borghi. The spatial organization remains unchanged, as does the resin floor, which has just been redone, as well as the restaurant, which has been kept in its entirety. For the rest, out go the ornaments and in place a minimalist decor in shades of gray, with removable steel displays and racks, while the furniture was created by renowned designers (Jesper Eriksson, Laurids Gallée, Odd Matter, Sam Chermayeff Office, The Back Studio).

“This essential style allows us to further highlight the product and make the brands more visible,” continues the manager, who does not disclose the content of the investment. “It was very important, because in addition to renovating the spaces, we added a staircase, an elevator and redid the entire roof terrace,” he says. The redevelopment of the commercial areas concerns the main area, dedicated to women’s ready-to-wear, while for the part dedicated to shoes and accessories and that dedicated to men’s fashion, a decor in chipboard has been chosen for the moment in the spirit of an unfinished construction site.

The most important change is the introduction of a large metal staircase at the back of the space dedicated to women, which directly connects the boutique located on the ground floor to the first floor. The customer thus finds himself directly in the “Project room”, the former bookstore which now sells, in addition to books, design objects and the entire perfume range, and leads to the art gallery, hosting this fall an interesting exhibition dedicated to the American photographer Talia Chetrit.

Big names and a sharp selection

With some 70 houses, the women’s selection gives pride of place, as always, to Japanese designers with the essential Comme des Garçons and to the Belgian school (Dries Van Noten, etc.), while skillfully mixing big names (Balenciaga, Jil Sander, Maison Margiela, Vivienne Westwood, Moncler)lesser-known brands and young designers (Alainpaul, Niccolo’ Pasqualetti, Roisin Pierce). For its part, the men’s offering includes nearly 60 labels including the emerging names of Magliano, Namacheko and Meta Campania Collective.

HAS Note that since September 10, 10 Corso Como has also been welcoming Phoebe Philo’s collection exclusively for the Italian market. Her “edit 3”, as well as several accessories. The label of the eponymous British designer, until now distributed only through her e-shop, has immediately attracted a large clientele on site.

The sign also begins this season in the fine jewelry segment with “very beautiful and creative pieces, which are not found in traditional jewelry stores”, underlines Gianluca Borghi, who confirms the high-end positioning of the store. Among the selected brands, Shihara, Charlotte Chesnais, Lah, Bibi Van der Velden and Yannis Sergakis, with prices ranging from 100 to 10,000 euros.

“Constant growth” for four years

From that it changed ownership there four years, the Milanese temple of luxury “has recorded constant double-digit growth”, assures the manager, who reveals to us the expansion plans of 10 Corso Como. The concept store, which has had various addresses in Asia (China, Japan) and in New York in the past, now only has two stores abroad in Seoul, opened in partnership with the Korean conglomerate Samsung.

It is back on the offensive with a series of projects. Starting with France, and in particular Printemps Haussmann in Paris, where it will set up shop by the end of the year with a permanent space dedicated to its signature line 10 Corso Como. It should then open a similar space in Qatar, at Printemps Doha. In the meantime, the brand is banking on two other initiatives in October: a special installation in the German department stores Lodenfrey in Munich, again with its own line, and the opening of a space in the concept store The Brands in Prague, where it will be present with, in addition to its own collection, an offer of sneakers and perfumes.

“It is important to promote the presence of 10 Corso Como. We are preparing to open a point of sale in New Delhi, India, in 2025 with a very strong local partner. The goal would also be to return to New York and expand in the Middle East, in Dubai,” concludes Gianluca Borghi.