Iittala

Miramar Centre, Taiwan Iittala

In collaboration with Iittala’s in-house design team Michael Young Studio has created an Iittala retail store in Taipei. Built in the new Miramar shopping centre, the flagship works is a highlight of Iittala’s design presence in Taiwan and a showcase of the new store design concept. The brand plans to increase the retail network in the coming years in all key markets, in APAC area and in Europe. The latest growth steps are the new Iittala store in Taipei by Young and renewed shop-in-shops in NK department store in Stockholm as well as in design department store Illums Bolighus in Copenhagen. Iittala is also opening a branded store in Helsinki airport.

The new, 85 m2 Taipei retail design positions Iittala more strongly as the progressive Scandinavian lifestyle brand.“We worked with Michael Young to create a retail adventure that in his word’s is grounded in Nordic heritage yet progressive in its execution. It’s a space that offers a sense of clarity, radiates warmth and celebrates how Iittala works with materials such as glass in a refined way. We see it as a place that offers an in depth experience to what makes Iittala relevant in any home and gives a sense of harmony to every visitor.” Comments Jeremiah Tesolin, Creative Director for Fiskars Living and head of the internal design team working on Iittala. The new retail design is a strategic step for Iittala taking into consideration both western and Asian consumers.“We are a well established Scandinavian design brand that understands the western lifestyle, but we want to understand thoroughly the specific needs of Asian consumers to enable our strategic growth in the area. Michael Young’s studio has been an excellent design partner for the new Iittala stores as he has a solid international track record in the fields of Asian business and design. Together with our internal retail team, Iittala’s retail presence is upgraded to communicate the brand essence in a fresh way”, says Päivi Paltola, SVP for Fiskars Living brands, including Iittala.

Say’s Young, “It’s been a rare opportunity to work with such an historical brand , Iittala is responsible for building some of the cornerstones the design industry knows today. The depth of culture in the brand offered me a vast source of inspiration and a tool box to work from. Conceptually however it was important to take into account how perceptions change between Eastern and Western markets. It is a challenge to present a large product range that communicates Scandinavian values such as craftsmanship and design in such a contrasting geographic. Having spent the last 12 years working extensively in Asia I have however been provided with good platform to combine both forces. The underlying concept is that of a “walk through” within the brand that is defined by concepts and materials that also key into Asian culture. A prime element has been the shelving system that I created exclusively for the IIttalla retail platform. It is an anodized aluminum extrusion that can be cut to any length and used in a variety of configurations. It is such fine attention to detail that I believe will define the progressive growth of the brand. I have also taken inspiration from the wonderful wooden glass blowing tools I spotted on my first visit to the Helsinki production facility to create a vast decorative wall element. We also created a mosaic of display systems to cater for the selected product ranges. Empowering the vision was the creation of a new glass light design that references the plastic Butchers light used in markets and in stores throughout Asia, it is a tribute combing culture and craftsmanship.” Iittala has taken steady steps towards international growth, with a strong focus on Asia and the recent announcement of the Iittala and Issey Miyake Home Collection launched in February 2016. All together, Iittala has more than 200 stores and shop in shops internationally of which over 90 are in Asian countries. The brand plans to increase the retail network in the coming years in all key markets, in APAC area and in Europe.