MILAN — A serious fashion extravaganza is anticipated to unfold in Florence Wednesday night, when the “Runway Icons” outdoor show staged by LuisaViaRoma in partnership with British Vogue will happen in front of greater than 2,000 guests.

The event is about to duplicate the ninetieth anniversary celebrations of the Florence-based luxury retailer in 2019, when the shop partnered with Carine Roitfeld and her son Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld on an identical multibrand runway show held at town’s Piazzale Michelangelo.

“We desired to repeat the experience, in the identical location as well,” said LuisaViaRoma’s president Andrea Panconesi ahead of the massive event. The show might be held at dusk on the square, which encompasses a reproduction of Michelangelo’s David statue standing at its center in addition to a sweeping panoramic view of the Arno River and the Florence skyline. “We thought it represents not only Florence but the entire history of culture and art, an emblem of the Renaissance and modern art,” Panconesi said in regards to the location.

Set to be a celebration of fashion history, the show will retrace the evolution of favor with the assistance of fifty international brands which were involved within the project with the assistance of Edward Enninful OBE. As reported, Enninful has been recently promoted to a latest role of world creative and cultural adviser of Vogue, a post he’ll take up in 2024 after stepping away from his role as editor in chief of British Vogue. 

For the event in Florence, emerging and established labels — including the likes of Bottega Veneta, Fendi, Giorgio Armani, Loewe and Valentino — were called to create looks giving a contemporary interpretation to their archives and iconic pieces, “which have been identified and chosen by Edward [Enninful],” Panconesi said.

“However the runway show is dubbed ‘Icons’ also due to models involved,” continued the chief, adding that the casting will encompass different generations and include Natalia Vodianova, Irina Shayk, Eva Herzigová, Mariacarla Boscono, Vittoria Ceretti and Pat Cleveland, amongst others.

“[Cleveland] was my idol. I remember seeing her once I was younger, walking the catwalk of the White Room [of Palazzo Pitti] and I’m so curious to see her again. She’s so unpredictable,” said Panconesi, referencing the time ready-to-wear shows were staged in Florence within the mid-Fifties.

The resonance of the event might be amplified by a livestreaming on Vogue’s website, the retailer’s Instagram channel and broadcast via screens installed within the windows of the physical store in Via Roma. Google might be a partner of the event as well, which made Panconesi particularly proud, having masterminded the retailer’s pioneering foray into e-commerce in 1999. “Having them as partners now could be like an acknowledgment of all of the work we’ve done online,” he said. 

Specifically, 30 pieces seen on the catwalk might be available to buy through the @ShopWithGoogle Instagram account and at a dedicated section on LuisaViaRoma’s website right after the event, respecting a see now, buy now format.

The drop might be followed by 22 exclusive capsule collections developed with brands involved within the show. From Thursday to Nov. 16, tie-ups might be released every Thursday at midday CET, starting with those of Nensi Dojaka, Alexander McQueen and Mugler that can drop concurrently this week. These might be followed by the likes of Moncler and Tom Ford, to finish with a spread by Paco Rabanne in the autumn. Pieces in each collection will include a special tag reading “Runway Icons.”

Along with the style show, Wednesday night’s event will see a live performance by Andrea Bocelli, an exclusive dinner for 300 people and a celebration, where guests resembling Lucien Laviscount, Julia Fox, Serge Ibaka, Elsa Hosk and Moses, to call a number of, are expected.

The Hollywood-like production is anticipated to echo the buzzy gala soirées LuisaViaRoma is thought to host with UNICEF in Capri and St. Barths, which over time have drawn celebrity guests resembling Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jared Leto and Spike Lee, in addition to live performances from the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Drake, Lenny Kravitz and Dua Lipa.

Other activations staged throughout the Pitti Uomo trade show, which can close on Thursday, are flanking the “Runway Icons” show, including in-store cocktail events and exclusive dinners hosted in partnership with brands starting from Roberto Cavalli to Magda Butrym. 

Panconesi highlighted the general strategic role these events play in enhancing the brand awareness across the retailer, which has been part of personal equity firm Style Capital’s portfolio since 2021. Last yr, LuisaViaRoma sales totaled around 250 million euros, of which greater than 90 percent were generated online. Panconesi forecast revenues will exceed 300 million euros in 2023.

The retailer’s acceleration has been boosted by a robust performance in its domestic market — where sales increased 40 percent prior to now two years — and by its ever-increasing work in brand scouting and overall enhancement of its offering, now encompassing greater than 600 luxury brands with highly curated selections. For instance, Panconesi addressed clients’ growing penchant to embrace an ethical behavior, whether of their shopping decisions or lifestyle typically.

“The era of disposable fashion is over, everybody wants to decorate but additionally eat and live in a more sensible way,” he said. To this end, the retailer’s LVRSustainable section introduced in 2019 and dedicated to environmentally sustainable brands and tie-ups with nonprofit organizations has proved to be a key asset in attracting and interesting with customers.

As reported, last yr LuisaViaRoma also made its foray into the resale game by partnering with Vestiaire Collective on a project enabling its clients to sell their previously worn fashions in exchange for credits to be spent on latest goods on the e-commerce site.

One other category in expansion mode is beauty, which Panconesi sees as so strategic that he’s eyeing the creation of a LuisaViaRoma-branded cosmetics line. The goal is to debut it when the retailer will open its first international outpost in Latest York, which Panconesi sees as more likely to occur at first of 2024.

LuisaViaRoma inked a long-term lease for a 7,855-square-foot retail space at 1 Bond Street in Manhattan’s NoHo, neighboring such retailers as Showfields and Kith and across the road from hip members club Zero Bond, in a location that Panconesi described as “absolutely implausible.” The yearly rent rate stands at $3.2 million, in response to leasing advisory firm Mona, and includes the lease of a 5,000-square-foot space on the constructing’s lower level.

“Latest York is historically the most recent city, it renews itself so rapidly and is in constant evolution, identical to fashion,” Panconesi said in regards to the selection of setting foot Stateside. Incidentally, LuisaViaRoma already tested the brick-and-mortar waters in Manhattan, opening a pop-up store in 2018 in partnership with Spring Studios and Spring Place.

Panconesi reiterated the importance of the U.S., which accounts for 17 percent of LuisaViaRoma’s overall sales. This makes it the retailer’s second largest market, following Italy, which represents 25 percent of total revenues. One other 25 percent is generated by France, Spain, the Netherlands and Germany combined. 

The brand new store is to duplicate the format of the Florentine unit, which boasts a minimal interior concept intended to be “an ever-changing box that will be full of different contents each time.”

Panconesi underscored the importance of keeping a consistency of favor and to respect the retailer’s own identity. “We’re a specialty store, so there won’t be branded corners but our own image,” he ensured. As for the experiential offering, LuisaViaRoma experimented with cafés in its Florentine flagship but an identical implementation is likely to be introduced in Latest York only “in a 3rd phase” attributable to different regulations. 

Asked about other future openings, Panconesi sounded cautious, explaining he favors a step-by-step approach. Yet he reiterated the importance of brick-and-mortar stores despite the retailer’s strong expertise and performance online. “We were born 94 years ago with a physical store, so brick-and-mortar is in our DNA and it’s what gives me numerous inspirations and satisfactions. You may still do something there you can’t do online: the direct relationship with customers is irreplaceable,” the chief said.

Specifically, it was Panconesi’s grandmother Luisa Jaquin who planted the seeds of the family company’s success by opening the concept store in 1929. Following Style Capital’s investment of 130 million euros to accumulate a 40 percent stake within the retailer, Andrea Panconesi left his post as chief executive officer — now held by Yoox veteran Alessandra Rossi — to be president of the corporate, while his daughter Annagreta serves as creative director of each the web site and physical store.