Get a behind-the-scenes look at Plan C’s new Milan flagship shop with Carolina Castiglioni
The Italian label’s new retail concept blends luxury ready-to-wear pieces with a reading room and design objects for a uniquely enhanced shopping experience.
After developing Marni into one of fashion’s most beloved labels, the Castiglioni family launched Plan C in 2018 as a Milan-based independent brand (Marni was sold to Renzo Rosso’s OTB group in 2015). Creative director Carolina Castiglioni translates her impeccable – and quintessentially Milanese – taste into practical yet quirky seasonal collections: sharp tailoring and utilitarian shirting are featured alongside feather-trimmed skirts and playful satchels printed with hand-drawn motifs.
The label follows the Castiglioni’s conviction that “small is beautiful”, eschewing big catwalk shows for intimate aperitivos and loud campaigns for raw imagery. Still, the brand has achieved slow-and-steady growth, introducing small collections of accessories, menswear and, more recently, homeware.
The next step? A flagship shop in the label’s hometown. “We didn’t just want to open a Plan C boutique,” says Castiglioni from her Milan showroom. “We wanted to create a concept shop where customers can come in and experience something different every time, discovering a variety of brands and products. It’s more interesting this way and opens the door to all kinds of people.”
The new shop on Via Manzoni will feature ready-to-wear collections by Plan C, jewellery by sister label Aliita and furniture by Serax, with whom Castiglioni is collaborating on a collection of vases, scented candles and candle holders. “I was inspired by a recent trip to Iceland,” she says.
In the flagship location you’ll find hand-selected artisanal chocolates by Le Chocolat de Français and design objects by Belgian label Valerie Objet, as well as a reading room filled with magazines and books. “From the beginning, the brand has been in a world of its own,” says the designer. “We want to make sure that people feel at ease shopping for items at different price points. There are so many special objects – the kind that you would find in the home of someone who wears Plan C.”
The interiors certainly create a comfortable atmosphere: there are velvet sofas, large geometric cabinets and bright pops of red and yellow that give you the feeling of being in a playground rather than a traditional boutique. A timely reminder that fashion should not take itself too seriously.
plan-c.com
