BEACHY KEEN: Underscoring how important resort retail destinations have become for Europe’s big luxury players, Dior is plotting a range of pop-ups and concept stores this summer, complete with wild animal sculptures and sun motifs sculpted from seashells.
Among the seven permanent and seasonal boutiques are new locations in at the Astir marina in Athens and in Puerto Banús, near Marbella, Spain. (The other locations are Saint-Tropez, Cannes and Monaco in France and Taormina and Forte dei Marmi in Italy.)
There will be seven pop-up stores showcasing the Dioriviera beach collection: in Sanya and Xiamen in China; in Seoul, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in Asia Pacific; in the Nice, France, branch of Galeries Lafayette, and D Maris Bay in Turkey for the EMEA region, and at the Beverly Hills Hotel in California.
Several of the locations also incorporate cafés, while parasols, pergolas, beach cabins and floating platforms figure among decor elements, heightening an atmosphere of relaxation and escapism.
Meanwhile, a dozen seasonal resort concept stores are slated to open for summer retailing starting this week in Portofino, Italy, and throughout April and May. The other locations are Cyprus, Cannes, Ibiza, Bodrum, Porto Cervo, Montenegro and Paraggi, plus two locations each in Mykonos, Greece, and Capri, Italy.
The Dioriviera collection is also sold in all Dior boutiques all summer long, with ready-to-wear and accessories done up in Toile de Jouy Sauvage or Toile de Jouy Soleil, the latter print depicting a sun and stars. Summery items include ponchos, foutas and pareos, along with book totes, straw hats, sandals and platform mules.
Items from the Dior Maison have also been given the Dioriviera treatment, including yoga mats, parasols, deckchairs, decorative objects, tableware and embroidered cushions.
Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior’s artistic director of women’s collections, chose a summery palette of navy, green, coral, powder pink, lemon and some acidic hues and houndstooth prints, too.
Dior began selling a beach collection at a pop-up store in Mykonos in 2018, joining the ranks of luxury brands courting customers in summer holiday destinations with in-season merchandise and convenient temporary locations.