Italian fashion brands set to launch at Mercato

Dubai’s Mercato is adding new names to its fashion segment. Two Italian brands Liu Jo and PLEASE are set to launch their stores at the emirate’s only mall sporting Italian architecture.

For Liu Jo, it’s the third opening in the UAE following The Dubai Mall in 2008 and The Galleria, Abu Dhabi in 2013. Spanning 1,076 sqft the store is situated on the ground floor of the mall. The new store follows the ‘Gold Concept’ that was first introduced at The Dubai Mall Liu Jo store last autumn. Created by the Italian design studio Fabio Caselli Design, the Gold Concept combines luminosity, transparencies and extra fine materials, creating luxurious, feminine and snug spaces.

The alternation between gold, steel and wood and the presence of semi-transparent screening contributes to creating balanced subdivisions between different shopping areas. Further the brilliant use of lighting creates 3D effects, making the in-store atmosphere highly attractive. “This opening confirms our desire to grow in the UAE,” says Visha Stubbs, responsible for Liu Jo’s operations and brand in the UAE. “As an Italian community mall with piazzas and quaint cafes, Mercato makes a great new home for Liu Jo and allows us to reach new consumer segments.

On the other hand, Forall Middle East, the fashion-retailing arm of Forall Confezioni Group, brings Italian fashion brand PLEASE to the Middle East. “We are delighted and excited to launch PLEASE in the region by opening a store at Mercato,” adds Stubbs, who’s also retail operations manager at Forall Middle East. “PLEASE is an entirely Italian fashion brand dedicated to continuous research on new trends, fitting models and unique colours giving it the reputation of ‘first’ on its markets.”

Together with style and taste, the strength of PLEASE lies in the speed of design and production – with the time taken between conceptualisation and final product roll-out being four weeks. Creativity and quality make it possible to constantly produce new models in order to meet the market’s demands, thereby increasing the value of the fashion business.