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Thus a rejuvenated Los Angeles is stealing space and at- In these shopping mausoleums, the architectural aes-
tention from an increasingly design–centric Miami. Demon- thetics of the stores are the main instrument of gentrifica-
strating this are Chanel’s recent shows with a collection tion and related services (restaurants, museums, hotels).
connected to the 1980s imagery of perennial California vaca- With huge square meters at their disposal, these luxury
tions, to Balenciaga, which chose with Demna to show a no– palaces manage to bring together clothes and accessories
season collection on the boulevards behind which the Holly- from the waiting list along with furnishings that tell the DNA
wood sign towers. Before that, Dior anticipated the wave that of the fashion house, pampering not only the ambitions of
in 2024 will make Mexico City the most fervent megalopolis owning the luxury good but also revealing the creation pro-
of art, architecture and culinary trends, a sign that sartorial cess behind it.
enterprises still know how to function as avant–garde places In addition to boutiques, in the East more than else-
capable of sensing a temperature before it is too high. where, the message is to shift the huge opportunities for
Fashion rekindles seemingly defunded cities, but what fashion culture, which has always been Eurocentric, given
does it also rebuild structurally? Today, cities such as Shang- the presence of ateliers in the arrondissements. If art foun-
hai and Seoul – with a spectacular Louis Vuitton Pre fall on dations of companies such as Louis Vuitton and Cartier, or
the Jamsu Bridge that connects the two souls of the city – the Midas King museums of luxury conglomerates scat-
respond not only to the need of a thriving market with stat- tered between Paris and Venice, created a parallel model
ed purchasing power, but even more to the important and for attending the System, today fashion shows are debuting
functional return of the trend of creating boutiques where in cities such as Shanghai and becoming itinerant after de-
one can immerse oneself in the soul of the brand. Making its buting in capitals most sensitive to change. One example is
debut in the new Korean landscape, in a Seoul now more ep- the Gucci Cosmos exhibition, on the history of the Floren-
icentre than ever, was the maison Dolce&Gabbana, which tine house: beginning the Grand Tour in Shanghai and many
commissioned Jean Nouvel to design a boutique temple of months later, flying to London. Shanghai is also a pivotal city
desire in the Gagnam district in 2021: the disruptive effect in for Prada, which at the end of 2023 opened the Pradash-
the midst of the existing architecture was achieved by a glass pere 2 exhibition at Rong Zhai, a 1918 residence restored by
cylinder framed by black granite columns. Luxury once again the group and which, since 2017, has been added to the Pra-
became a tactile and artistic experience. da landscape along with the Milan and Venice foundations.

01. Allure Kim at Seoul Fashion Week S/S 2024 on September 08, 2023
in Seoul, South Korea. ©Tiffany Boubkeur/Getty Images

02. A guest is seen wearing Moschino earrings, black blazer and a black
fanny bag during the Seoul Fashion Week 2020 S/S on October 17, 2019
in Seoul, South Korea. ©Jean Chung/Getty Images
03. A guest is seen wearing leopard–patterned beret and scarf, and black
leather bag during the Seoul Fashion Week 2020 S/S in Seoul, South
Korea. ©Jean Chung/Getty Images
04. Model Hwang Chae Yoon at Seoul Fashion Week S/S 2024 in Seoul,
South Korea. ©Tiffany Boubkeur/Getty Images

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