Ciao, hello, hello, words written on a striking counter made of pink resin... This is how Bershka welcomes us to its renovated flagship store located in the heart of Corso Vittorio Emmanuelle II in Milan. The reopening this Friday, September 15, one of the events planned by Bershka to celebrate its 25th anniversary, is also a greeting to the future, a declaration of intent that invites you to immerse yourself in a single physical space in a shopping experience between digital and the real. Who said that physical and online shopping can't go hand in hand?
Quite the opposite. Bershka has demonstrated this with this innovative shopping concept in its 1,872 square meter flagship, distributed over three floors and several access points in the most famous galleries in Italy. It is the largest store that the Spanish brand has in the world and that is why, after completing its renovation, it aims to be an experimental bet to redefine the commercial space.
Changing rooms to try on clothes in a group, order sizes with one click, and have filters to take selfies and share the image on social networks. The services are located in the center of the store and share the spotlight with the products. Spiral stairs in a minimalist framework with nods to marble but use of concrete and a modern industrial aesthetic. The store takes advantage of the historic site of a former cinema to open its façade to the famous covered gallery. Designers Ellen van Loon and Giulio Margheri, from the OMA studio founded by the famous Rem Koolhas, have created a strong visual identity based on this idea of integrating the physical and the digital.
A tour of the flagship store allows you to appreciate how two different purchasing rhythms come together in a single space and in which the most advanced technologies take the experience to another dimension. There are many examples of this commitment to innovation by one of the brands of the Inditex group. Like the pink-lined fitting rooms, which can be reserved in advance and are designed for groups of up to four people with whom to share the experience of deciding on one outfit or another.
For those who prefer to try on clothes in more personalized spaces, it will be enough to go up to the third floor, where there are 34 dressing rooms with garment recognition using RFID systems, which detects the number of products when entering or leaving the area. There are also exclusive fitting rooms where customers can experience the latest digital fashion trends thanks to augmented reality and create content with filters created to share on social networks. It's even possible to see what a look would look like without actually putting it on!
Another novelty is the click
For its 25th anniversary and the re-release in the galleries of Corso Vittorio Emmanuelle II, Bershka has launched limited edition collections such as the Generation Bershka, with volumes, metallic effects, washed effects and baggy silhouettes typical of the Gorpcore trend, the urban look that claims oversize and layering with asymmetrical garments, details and draping. Another limited edition is the relaunch of black clogs inspired by the digital world and created through the 3D technique with sculptural volumes defined by organic lines inspired by natural elements: the collection is called RAL7000STUDIO X Bershka and is an appetizer of the capsule collection that the brand will present in November.
The limited collections will be available for now only to those who come to the shopping experience in Milan. Thus, Bershka sows ideas for the future through a new store concept that has only just begun.
