Luxury house Balenciaga has opened a new flagship store in Taiwan’s capital city opening inside the nation’s tallest building, Taipei 101.
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The new Balenciaga Taipei 101 store spans 414 square metres and follows the Kering-owned brand’s experiential ‘Raw Architecture’ concept, which respects existing structural elements and adds evocative details like simulated corrosion and intentionally rough edges.
In contrast to the skyscraper’s polished interiors, the Balenciaga store façade is eroded at its edges, while two white-lit Balenciaga signs sit above metal-seamed glass panes, acting as an entrance and a display window.
Inside, industrial racks hang from ceilings on metal pipes, brushed concrete floors resemble sidewalk tiles, and walls are panelled with stained and aged concrete as well, creating the illusion of a liminal indoor/outdoor space.
Ceiling grids, lighting systems, and other technical fixtures are exposed overhead, punctuated by aluminum tables and faux-leather benches, patinated and worn to resemble warehouse furniture. Polished, underlit shelving and high-definition digital video screens add a final touch of luxury and modernity.
Finally, the new store offers locals the latest in the Paris-based Balenciaga men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, shoes, bags, accessories, eyewear, and jewellery.
The new Balenciaga Taipei 101 store takes the brand’s store count in Taipei to five, and eight locations in Taiwan.
Earlier known as Taipei World Financial Center, Taipei 101 is located in Taiwan’s economic and cultural centre, Taipei. The ‘101’, in the name, stands for the number of floors in the building and also was meant to honour the coming of the new century, opening to the public in 2005.