Balenciaga is looking to cash in on Silicon Valley.
The brand today opened its first store at Valley Fair in Santa Clara, Calif., which is in proximity to Cupertino, San Jose, Campbell, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Los Gatos and Palo Alto — in other words, where all the new tech money is.
“It is uniquely situated in the heart of Silicon Valley — a region at the forefront of innovative ideas in many fields and so therefore, an appropriate fit for Balenciaga,” said Isabelle Guichot, the company’s president and chief executive officer. “It is an affluent, booming region, in a very educated way, open to influences and understanding the brands with a point of view on fashion.”
The 1,680-square-foot store reflects the retail aesthetic recently implemented by artistic director Alexander Wang and interior designer Ryan Korban. It involved tons of green “Verde Rameggiato” Italian marble and cracked resin shelves. It’s the brand’s first store in northern California, although it has locations in Los Angeles and South Coast Plaza in Orange County.
“Silicon Valley has recently made news because Apple has hired on so many luxury-fashion executives to join their team,” said Guichot. “So in this sense there is a nice link between innovation in technology, design, retail, fashion and this new opening is the perfect opportunity for the brand to be part of the scene.”
Balenciaga is not the first luxury brand on this bandwagon; its neighbors at Valley Fair include Cartier, Tiffany, Prada, Miu Miu, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Mulberry and Michael Kors. Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta are reportedly opening there in the fall.