The place
The location chosen by Massimo Dutti for the presentation of its Limited Edition Women & Men collections in Shanghai was the 1933 Shanghai building (上海1933老场坊), an example of Art Deco architecture and currently the nerve centre for design companies and creative industries. Renovation work on its 30,000 m2 was completed in 2008 and now it can be admired in all its splendour.
Massimo Dutti surprised its followers with a unique and pioneering event that represents another step on the path set by the brand; a path that includes the organisation of fashion shows noticeable for their creativity and use of the latest technology. On this occasion, the building’s spacious interior was transformed, for a few hours, into a microcosm of the brand’s new chapter. Designed by British architects, and built with cement imported from the United Kingdom in 1933, the date from which it takes its name, the inside of this emblematic building is like the setting for a science fiction film. An impressive maze of spiral staircases and interlocking ramps that connect the circular central structure to the exterior walls, the building has large concrete atriums giving it the feel of a giant labyrinth across four floors and making exploring the space a fascinating adventure.
In this unique scenario, Massimo Dutti’s project is based on a rigorously defined art concept that represents the physical space as a huge music box containing the graphic silhouettes of the models charged with transmitting the cutting-edge ambition that drives the brand. It is all brought to life through the fusion of different musical styles both electronic and more traditional.
A clear aesthetic narrative that develops over three different types of visual representation, including a catwalk, a large audiovisual screen and an interactive holographic screen; and within a unique creative discourse, underpinned by the principles of quality, consistency and rigour; all part of the brand’s DNA.
Built with cement imported from the United Kingdom in 1933, the date from which it takes its name, the inside of this emblematic building is like the setting for a science fiction film.
