Displayed in the C. Vittorio Emanuele store's impressive 40's entrance hall, it was designed by the prestigious architect Ben van Berkel and his team at UNStudio.

The main entrance of Zara’s flagship store on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan starting today plays host to an eye-catching installation created by the Netherlands-based design firm UNStudio. The piece represents the Inditex Group retailer’s nod to events planned in Milan to coincide with the city's International Furniture Fair.

Zara installation by UNStudio, image courtey of Zara

The installation stands a spectacular five metres tall and has a diameter of 4.85 metres, with a total surface area of 130m2. The coated aluminium structure is lit from within using LEDs, and is echoed in two smaller pieces displayed in the shop’s windows.

The contrast between the store entrance's classical look – marble flooring, mosaics, a gilded ceiling and a grand Murano glass chandelier – and the installation’s cutting-edge design in curved aluminium, which offers a subtle play on reflected light and the surrounding environment, adds a new dimension to the experience enjoyed by visitors to the Zara store on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.

Zara installation by UNStudio, image courtey of Zara

The flagship store on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, one of Europe's most relevant shopping areas, was the first Zara the Inditex Group opened in Italy (in 2001). The store reflects the Group's attention to detail in both the development of retail locations featuring sensitively executed architectural design and the preservation of artistic heritage and rehabilitation of historically significant sites. Inditex views these efforts as added value for its customers and the communities in which it operates. These priorities are especially significant in Italy, a country which has a very rich architectural heritage and a keen sense of fashion.

Ben van Berkel, designer of the UNStudio installation for Zara, is the architect of wellknown projects such as the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, the Moebius House in Het Gooi in the Netherlands, and the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.