illusionary curves infuse milan's SO-LE STUDIO jewelry showroom

SO-LE STUDIO Milan’s Boutique opens its doors

SO-LE STUDIO founded by Maria Sole Ferragamo, opens its first jewelry flagship store, welcoming visitors to an experiential space in the heart of Milan. Located at Via Sant ‘Andrea, the new showroom is part of an ambitious project dubbed ‘Portrait Milano’, introducing a new lifestyle destination in the core of Milan‘s luxury Piazza del Quadrilatero. Occupying over 2800 square meters, this new square connects Corso Venezia and via S. Andrea for the first time, modifying the pedestrian access through the fashion district.

Designed by local architectural practice FONDAMENTA, the boutique’s scheme reflects Maria Sole’s creative design principles, spotlighting illusion, surprise, and freshness. The interior immerses guests into a futuristic space, dominated by effortless movement, coatings and volumes, organic forms and mirrors, and a vivid flux of light. designboom visited the dreamlike boutique and spoke with Maria Sole, who took us on a tour of her wearable sculptures.

‘I consider my jewelry as living organisms, companions for the wearer. For my first store, I wanted to recreate the sensation of being inside a living organism, a space that moves, breathes, and changes like my jewelry pieces do. I like the idea that the client is immersed in this experience and loses track of time and space. FONDAMENTA really managed to grasp this idea and bring the concept to life in a beautiful way,’ explained the designer.

all images by Mikael Olsson, unless stated otherwise

a flexible layout with intangible qualities

FONDAMENTA sought to translate SO-LE STUDIO’s distinctive design vocabulary into an architecture that ‘steps away from the traditional widespread retail scenography’. Instead, the design team opted for a new soft skin made of delicate fabric to drape the old structure. Thus, the interior loses every sharp corner and edge and becomes an organic and flexible system. The bent surfaces are interrupted by parabolic notches, revealing the jewelry with an ethereal touch. ‘Like precious pearls in a shell’, they appear as if they are floating in space. Mirrors and backlit surfaces are positioned into the fabric’s cuts, adding an immaterial sense to the fantastical space.

Three rotating panels add flexibility to the space, allowing for a rearrangement according to each need. Moreover, the backside of one of these panels hosts a screen that can display video art pieces or clips from the creative process of Maria Sole.

the products are displayed like precious pearls in a shell

the beauty of abandoned materials

The outside of SO-LE STUDIO attracts passers-by’s curiosity and they feel the urge to find out what ‘happens in this new surreal world.’ To mark this new chapter of SO-LE STUDIO, Maria Sole presents a new series of pieces, including a ring and a bag, exclusively found at the store and on the website.

At the intersection of leather artisanship, jewelry design, architecture, and visual arts, her oeuvres bring a sense of surprise and provocation. Born with a common understanding of sustainability and traction, both the wearable sculptures and the architecture bear Maria Sole’s creative principles. As ‘architectures for the body’, the versatile pieces are made from leftover materials from Milan’s workshops such as leather and brass shavings, that eventually, become precious companions for the wearer.

the architecture reflects her design principles: lightness, mobility, playfulness, and a love for organic shapes