After operating successfully in their boutiques in Milan, Paris, Rome, Miami, Shanghai and Nanjing, the iconic Italian brand Acqua di Parma has moved to Dubai for its first boutique in the Middle East. Over a hundred years old, the company today is the symbol of Italian lifestyle all over the world.
“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. The opening in the Dubai Mall of a store devoted to luxury perfumery was the perfect opportunity to encapsulate the warmth and refined elegance that have characterized the brand since its inception in a single space”, says Laura Burdese, CEO and President of Acqua di Parma.
Dubai mall, being one of the largest in the world and including a new Perfumery&Co district devoted entirely to the most prestigious international perfume brands, now is home to the new Acqua di Parma boutique.
The concept of the new boutique conveys the quintessential nature of the brand’s radiant Italian style. Precious natural materials and warm colours dominated by the brand’s trademark bright Parma yellow constitute the theme of the boutique.
“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, 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. This is our Italian home in the Middle East, a Mediterranean ray of sun which today shines also in Dubai.” – Laura Burdese, CEO and President, Acqua di Parma
Architect Nathalie Ryan of Kirei Studio says, “It has been incredibly exciting to work on this project. I am sure that the Dubai boutique will lead Italian elegance into a new and dynamic era of sophisticated lightness.”
The store’s exterior follows the theme and with the alternating timber elements and textile cladding calls to mind the rays of the sun. 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.
In the store’s interior, the winding spaces and soft, rounded contours permeate a relaxing atmosphere. The furnishings in the entrance area create the same warm atmosphere with comfortable armchairs in yellow Parma leather set off by cushions in Loro Piana fabric, an elegant centre table, etc. The brand’s Italian style is further accentuated by the fine Parma yellow Rezina textile coverings of the interior walls, bright Parma yellow inserts peaking out from the honey coloured grooved panels in walnut wood that line the walls and the oak floors with an ivory tinge. The uneven central ringed chandelier that picks up the circular shape of the hat boxes is a nod to the perfect imperfection that makes 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.
The store culminates in the intimate and elegant Barberia: a Barber’s area peculiar of every Acqua di Parma boutique which is the jewel in the crown of all the services that the brand has created for its male customers. The access to this cozy and stylish spot is through a magnificently decorated doorway made of glass engraved with bright rays of sun dipped in golden tones. The ceiling of the Barberia has a similar design while the floor has some Sicis Mosaic rugs made especially for Acqua di Parma. Furnishings include a large circular mirror with a leather frame and barber’s chair. At the Barberia, male customers can indulge in the ritual of a traditional Italian shave and every detail of the space 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.
To mark the opening of the new 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.
