Moncler’s new store is 23,000 square feet of questionable necessity
A luxury brand’s Manhattan flagship is 23,000 square feet, reflecting a CEO’s childhood fascination with the city’s scale.
The story
Moncler's CEO, Remo Ruffini, has grown the brand from a small company to a global luxury powerhouse with significant revenue and a large workforce, emphasizing brand legacy and innovation.
Source: wwd.com
Our reading
Moncler’s new Manhattan flagship is 23,000 square feet, a space that could fit a small airport’s worth of luggage carts but not necessarily a small airport itself. It’s the kind of size that makes you wonder if the brand is preparing for a snowstorm or a takeover.
Ruffini called the location a ‘dream come true,’ citing childhood visits where he ‘marveled at the size of everything.’ It’s possible he was also marveling at the idea that one day he’d be the one deciding what fits in that space.
The store’s design, by Gilles & Boissier, is meant to ‘show the breadth of our categories,’ which is a fancy way of saying they’re trying to sell you a lot of things you didn’t know you needed—like a jacket for a mountain you’ve never climbed.
