Massimo Dutti opens a run of flagships, with New York's SoHo next on 23 October and Shanghai after

Massimo Dutti, the upmarket brand of Zara owner Inditex, is opening flagship stores in several fashion capitals within about three months, WWD reported on 16 October.

The roll-out

• The brand opened stores in Copenhagen and Los Cabos (Mexico) in July and Seoul in August, followed by Rome and Milan earlier in October.
• Next is New York’s SoHo, scheduled to open on 23 October, with Shanghai to follow at the end of the month. For SoHo, Massimo Dutti commissioned artist Steven Sebring to create a photographic exhibition centred on Patti Smith.
• The company plans to enter new markets, including Norway with a store in Oslo, said Alicia Gonzalez, global commercial director.

The concept

• Each store is designed to reference its city; in Rome, frescoes were restored inside the shop. New stores offer services such as scan-and-shop, reserve in store, assisted online ordering and style advisers, and take part in the brand’s Art in Progress programme with local artists.
• Gonzalez described the brand’s point of view as “understated sophistication, timeless design and exceptional quality.”

The numbers

• Massimo Dutti operates more than 500 stores in 76 markets.
• Sales for the first half ended 31 July rose to €988 million from €895 million a year earlier.
• Founded in Spain in 1985 as a menswear brand, it added womenswear in 1995.