La Perla shows its manly side at Pitti Uomo

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Jun 23, 2014

The La Perla woman now has a new man! Both fashionable and masculine, sophisticated and athletic, he also sometimes reveals a dash of eccentric when wearing his retro wetsuit-swimsuit in a glittering fish-scale print.

Thursday evening in Florence as part of Pitti Uomo, the luxury lingerie brand unveiled its new men's line designed by the Tuscan designer Emiliano Rinaldi.

Very focused on loungewear, the collection primarily consisted of robes and kimonos in raffia or silk jacquard, paired with long vests in cuporo, silk or cotton, or with extra-wide pants.

Rounding out the collection were short-sleeve shirts in breathable mesh fabrics, cotton Bermudas, tracksuits and T-shirts in cashmere — a mash-up of streetwear and total luxury.

La Perla has always enjoyed some demand for men's items, especially for underwear basics and silk pajamas. With this new project, it is repositioning its men's wear collection to be more upscale, on par with its women's lines.

And as part of this initiative, the brand is now planning to open full-fledged men’s wear stores. La Perla already has a number of department store shop-in-shops for men, particularly a dozen in the El Corte Inglés in Spain.

Behind the brand's men's wear project is a major strategic distribution plan organized around three formats, starting with single brand stores. The architect Roberto Bacciochi, also the creator of the brand’s new concept store design, will design these 100-square-meter retail spaces.

Three La Perla men's stores will open by summer 2015, the first located on Mount Street in London, an ultra-chic and trendy commercial street. Milan will also get one of these mono-brand stores. The second format is a hybrid store that carries both men's and women's collections. The concept will be rolled out in new locations or through renovations to existing stores with increased square footage.

The first mixed store is expected to open in Amsterdam in the near future, followed by a three-level flagship in London on Old Bond Street in July, near the Alexander McQueen store. Then on October 1, 2014, La Perla's Paris store at 20, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré will reopen after renovations that will expand it from 200 to 300 square meters.

Also part of this flurry of retail activity are store openings in Barcelona, located on the shopping street Avenida Paseo de Gracia and another in Zurich on November 15.

La Perla will also be opening the his-and-hers stores in airports. The brand is also planning men's shop-in-shops in prestigious department stores.