MILAN — Ecoalf is hitting another European fashion capital in its low but steady retail rollout.
The Spanish eco-minded brand took an 870-square-foot space in the futuristic Gae Aulenti square in Milan, tapping start architect Patricia Urquiola to telegraph its green fashion advocacy mission.
Housed inside a LEED- and WELL-certified building, the store’s minimalistic and eco-tech bent hinges on a low-impact material mix.
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“Our stores embody Ecoalf’s core values: sustainability, design and innovation and follow the same philosophy of the brand with the goal of doing the least harm possible to the planet,” said Javier Goyeneche, the company’s founder and president.
The store’s optical white flooring and furniture coatings were done by Cimento, an Italian company producing carbon-neutral concrete from the upcycling of production waste, while side panels were covered in upcycled deadstock textiles from Danish Kvadrat. Painting was sourced from Airlite, which offers eco paint produced from renewable sources and with air-purifying properties, modular curtain-like partitions were 3D printed by the Nagami design studio from recycled plastic, and the registered and circular Hontext fiberboard was employed for furniture pieces.
“Working with the Ecoalf team was very stimulating, a conversation based on shared values,” Urquiola said. “The store in Gae Aulenti is testament to the commitment we both have in creating truly sustainable projects. We indeed have done a lot of research in order to find new circular materials and processes which respect both nature and human expertise. Through a language of sober colors and pure shapes the store expresses profoundly the personality of Ecoalf,” the archistar offered.
Achieving net-zero GHG emissions, the store represents a statement on the brand’s mission to become carbon neutral by 2030.
Hung on the wall are 10 portraits of fishermen that contributed to the Ecoalf Foundation’s “Upcyling the Oceans” project jumpstarted in 2015 and geared at removing marine debris and turn them into high-quality yarns. “The store’s very special to me.…I wanted to honor and thank the 4,000-plus fishermen that collaborate in project,” Goyeneche said. “What started with three fishermen in a little port in Spain has expanded throughout the Mediterranean Sea across Spain, France, Italy and Greece,” he added.
The flagship store marks Ecoalf’s first directly operated banner in Italy, a country representing about 15 percent of the business with 300 retail partners. “This store, we believe, will help strengthen the brand in the market significantly,” Goyeneche offered, adding that Italian customers have been supporting the brand for their understanding of quality and design sitting at the core of Ecoalf’s offering.
After opening a store in Paris’ buzzy Marais district last year, Ecoalf is committed to make a push overseas, the U.S. representing the next target country. The brand operates stores in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain; Berlin, and Tokyo and generates around 23 percent of its sales from brick-and-mortar operations and 12 percent via e-commerce.
“We are an omnichannel brand, each channel helps us to share our mission and values in different ways and reach different audiences. We want to use every point of contact to offer a sustainable lifestyle experience, help educate consumers and inspire change in their daily habits and way of consuming,” Goyeneche said.