DUCCIO GRASSI ARCHITECTS renews and transforms the MAX MARA flagship store in Aoyama, Tokyo, located in one of the top commercial district of the city.Corner spot at the intersection between Aoyama-Dori and Kotto-Dori, this 400 sqm shop has a great visibility with its impressive façade.The exterior of the building was covered with pink granite and distinguished by two large symmetrical columns: this older look was completely redesigned and updated, according to the brand values.The design of the façade was an open challenge: to keep a uniform look harmonically with the upper part of the building in which is integrated. The first floor windows were removed, the shop windows at ground floor were modified or covered in accordance with the new layout, the large columns were absorbed in the new covering in warm grey glass.The design is simpler and stronger, communicates energy and dynamism towards the center of the façade, the corner where the entrance is located and that is underlined by a wide LED wall. Inside, the shape of the space allows the creation of a strong design with the juxtaposition of pure volumes that enhances the remarkable height of the shop. The ground floor is designed as a wide open space that contains large sculptural volumes: the attention to the materials and the lights is essential for the composition and the creation of chromatic contrasts.

The principal material used at this level is the light wood, that through its simplicity makes the space bright and comfortable. The stairs leading to the first floor are a strong design element through their shape and the contrast between the luminosity of the wood and the dark burnished metal.

The upper level, on the other hand, is conceived as a sequence of more intimate spaces, marked by volumes and furniture: in these private rooms take place the most exclusive MAX MARA collections.

The VIP area is a closed room contained in a large cube that appears suspended between the two levels. Its shape is strengthened by the dark metal skin that covers it: the same iron is processed differently, obtaining

different results that are composed in a captivating pattern, enlightened by platinum glass inserts that gives a unique look to the space.

This important shop makes Tokyo a fundamental step in MAX MARA concept’s evolution, allowing the brand recognizability without repetition: traditional materials, by now iconic and part of the MAX MARA identity, are intelligently modified to comply to new contexts, new solutions new visions.