MILAN – Kiko Milano is going big.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Italian beauty powerhouse is opening its largest store in the world in Milan on Wednesday.
Located in the central Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, the 2,153-square-foot unit will debut a new concept, named “KIKOiD,” offering new beauty services.
Among these, a customization program enables clients to personalize their purchases with initials, symbols and inscriptions. In particular, a dual-arm robot in the store offers laser incisions in less than a minute, selected through a touch-screen application.
To boost the interaction with customers and the digital presence in the store, a range of tablets featuring dedicated apps offers tips and product suggestions based on customers’ needs.
For in-depth consultations, the unit also debuts a private room featuring three reserved makeup stations for customers requesting private one-to-one makeup services with beauty experts.
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Conceived by Japanese archistar Kengo Kuma, with whom the brand started to collaborate in 2015, the store’s interior concept has a design dominated by wide spaces and glass windows creating a luminous environment.
Putting the brand’s signature range of colorful products at the center of the store, Kuma opted for an all-white approach for the space. In doing so, interiors serve as a white canvas to showcase over 1,400 make-up, skincare and accessories products and more than 1,000 new, limited-edition offerings launched by the brand every year.
The high ceiling is also a key feature in the unit, with its crisscross structure made of sustainable, laminated boards.
Such elements recreate the brand’s double-K logo and represent a signature design of the architect, as they are also present in the other units curated by Kuma. These include the Kiko Milano stores in the Italian cities of Bergamo and Bologna, and 13 other international stores, including Madrid, Dubai, Brussels and Moscow.
Earlier this year, to kick-off the 20th anniversary celebrations, Kiko Milano launched a partnership with Vogue Italia. The glossy fashion magazine selected seven young designers from its Vogue Talents project to make limited-edition capsule collections inspired by the brand’s list of core values, including signature Italian style, creativity, innovation and experimentation.
The program involved collaborations with emerging labels Super Duper Hats, Leitmotiv, Arthur Arbesser, Benedetta Bruzziches, Isa Arfen, Giannico, Au Jour le Jour. Starting from March, every month, a designer released a capsule collection based on different themes which were named “Less is better;” “Tropic heat;” “Active fluo;” “Mini divas;” “Asian touch;” “Candy split” and “Into the dark.”
A range of related, limited-edition little charms was designed so consumers could collect them and customize a bracelet launched for the anniversary.
Founded in 1997 by entrepreneurs Stefano and Antonio Percassi, Kiko Milano debuted its first corner in the iconic Fiorucci store in Milan the same year. Now the brand’s retail network counts over 1,000 stores in 21 countries, in addition to an e-commerce channel spanning 35 countries.
In 2016, Kiko Milano registered revenues of more than 600 million euros.
In addition to Kiko Milano, the commercial and real estate giant Percassi Group owns the Madina, Womo and Bullfrog beauty brands.