Located in the majestic Tower 101 in Taipei in the Sinyi District, this store which spans 1805 square meters over two floors includes all the aesthetic features of the Paris flagship store on Avenue Montaigne. It was inaugurated on March 23 during a ceremony followed by a dinner attended, aside from CEO Sidney Toledano, celebrities of Chinese origin such as Michelle Yeoh and Daniel Wu.

The architect Peter Marino has combined 18th century style with contemporary elements to create an ambience full of glamor that nonetheless reflects its time.

Dior's whole universe is represented, on the first level, in two rooms dedicated to leather goods, to watches and jewelry respectively (with more space to accommodate VIP customers of fine jewelry). On the second level, three lounges offer ready to wear, with, again, a VIP area for high profile clients, and a room dedicated to footwear. The two levels are connected by a stunning staircase with a wrought iron balustrade.

And, since today's fashion boutiques are becoming more and more like art galleries, Dior asked contemporary artists to create works inspired by the house. One can thus see in the Taipei store a bench decorated with flowers by Claude Lalanne, a mirror by Veronique Rivemale, a video installation by Oyoram along the staircase and even a table by Elisabeth Garouste. Not Vital, Rob Wynne, Terence Koch, Juan & Paloma Garrido, Alasdair Cooke, Yoram Mevorach, Martin Kline, Lawrence Chauvat, Peter Peri, William Sullivan, Mark Shenkman, Gary Lee Noffke, India Mahdavi and Hubert Le Gall have also signed works for this great temple of fashion.

According to Ubifrance, the luxury market in Taiwan is now worth $1.6 billion and the island became the fifth largest Asian market after Japan, China, South Korea and Hong Kong, with a growth rate in the double digits. Moreover, according to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of France in Taiwan, the wealthiest 10% of the population are especially attracted to Western products, which justifies Dior’s choice to open this megastore.



by Silvia Manzoni