Domus / Sundek Flagship Store Forte dei Marmi


Italian swimwear brand Sundek has opened its largest store to date in Forte dei Marmi, inside a former ice factory. Designed by Italian architecture practice Studio10, the store’s concept had already been tested at the Milano Marittima and Saint Tropez shops. At the Forte dei Marmi, this concept has been enriched with new elements, details and materials.

Inspired by the idea of movement, the project features a continuous conveyer belt, progressively unveiled behind wall perforations. With this element, the architects sought to radically change store environments, such as the changing rooms (where it appears in the ceiling) and the shop window. A central wall condenses the store’s “double soul”, mirroring the menswear and womenswear sectors, coloured white and black. These colours help to emphasize the menswear’s double ceiling height, while creates a more intimate area in the womenswear section. “The Yin and Yang that characterizes the project consists of a room with larch walls and black iron intrados”, state the architects, “and an opposite room with larch niches in white almond patterned metal walls.”

A large wooden deck dotted with tall mannequins extends from the glass entrance to the large bright windows on the bottom, intercepting the main visual element: a wall-to-ceiling glass wall featuring the Sundek logo. This element separates the sales area from a museum area where the brand celebrates its historical collection and the promotional campaigns that bolstered the brand’s success in the 60s. The architects sought iconic furniture pieces of the 60s and 70s in line with the brand’s history and its origins to decorate the store’s interiors.