Miami Dior boutique by Barbarito Bancel

The French luxury brand sets foot in Miami with a building that evokes a white pleated skirt. #Retail lighting and #retail design convey sophistication.

French studio Barbarito Bancel Architectes has draped a Dior clothing boutique in Miami in an assemblage of sculpted white panels, intended to evoke a pleated skirt.

 At night, lights placed behind the slits in the facade emit a white glow. At ground level, large windows framed in shiny silver provide a clear view into the spacious boutique. Rising three storeys, the shop features a restrained colour palette of greys and whites. Rectangular silver racks are suspended from the ceiling.

Barbarito Bancel was mindful of the building’s retail function when designing the facade.

Dior has worked with numerous international architects in the design of its stores. Other examples include a Tokyo boutique by SANAA that features glass walls set in front of an acrylic screen and an outpost in Seoul by Christian de Portzamparc with a garment-inspired facade.

The district already includes a retail building with a glass arcade by Sou Fujimoto, a dome by Buckminster Fuller, and a store with a pleated concrete facade by ArandaLasch for Tom Ford.

Photography is by Alessandra Chemollo.