In a workshop led by Luigi Savio, students from the Master in Event and Exhibition Design at Scuola Politecnica di Design explored the evolving landscape of retail through the lens of the concept store a model that merges architecture, branding, and cultural production. Drawing inspiration from pioneers like 10 Corso Como, Prada Epicenters, and Marni, the workshop invited students to investigate how retail environments can go beyond commerce to become experiential and narrative-driven spaces.
A New Retail Narrative
The workshop began with a series of lectures and case studies, guiding students through the spatial, communicative, and experiential strategies that define the concept store typology. These precedents provided a foundation for critically analyzing how retail design can reflect shifts in consumer behavior, urban dynamics, and cultural trends.
Designing in the Heart of Milan
The hands-on component focused on a real site in Via Manzoni, Milan, where students were challenged to develop interior design proposals for a new flagship store. The brief asked for a multifunctional space that could blend commercial functions with exhibition, social, or performative elements, offering a flexible environment that speaks to the hybrid nature of contemporary retail.
From Storefront to Cultural Platform
By combining research and design practice, students were encouraged to rethink the store not just as a place of transaction, but as a platform for engagement, storytelling, and experience. The resulting proposals highlighted how physical retail can remain relevant in a digital age by embracing cross-disciplinary thinking and programmatic layering.
A Vision for the Future of Retail
The workshop ultimately provided a framework for envisioning adaptive and future-forward retail spaces ones that respond to the complexities of today’s cities and consumer cultures, while opening up new possibilities for interaction between brand, space, and community.