10 Extraordinary Fashion Boutiques Designed by Famous Architects

When a couturier meets an architect to create a fabulous home for fashion, something magical happens. The act of shopping for luxury clothing becomes much more than simply purchasing a good—instead, clients are treated to an all-encompassing aesthetic experience, one where both the clothing and the architecture complement one another. Herewith are ten spectacular boutiques in fashion capitals across the globe—all designed by world-famous architects.

Peter Marino for Chanel | Paris

The Chanel boutique in Paris. Photo: Courtesy of Peter Marino

Acclaimed architect Peter Marino is quite familiar with Chanel, having devised no fewer than 12 boutiques for the brand, three of which are in Paris. His most recent in the City of Light debuted in 2012 and is located on Avenue Montaigne, the famed shopping boulevard home to dozens of haute-couture stores. Marino brings his signature luxe aesthetic to the space, with gold tweed walls, embroidered silk curtains, and a white marble staircase. 51 Avenue Montaigne, Paris

David Chipperfield for Valentino | Rome

Rome’s Valentino flagship. Photo: Courtesy of Valentino

Putting a modern spin on the traditional Italian palazzo, David Chipperfield seamlessly blends grandeur and minimalism in the Roman flagship for Valentino, located on the Piazza di Spagna. Though the scale of the building is massive—it’s over 15,000 square feet with a nearly 20-foot-tall atrium—the muted gray terrazzo found on the walls and floors creates a unified space. 35/38 Piazza di Spagna, Rome

Moshe Safdie and Peter Marino for Louis Vuitton | Singapore

Moshe Safdie Architects and Peter Marino crafted this dock-side shop for Louis Vuitton in Singapore. Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Moshe Safdie and Peter Marino collaborated to create an “island maison,” as the architects call it, for the Louis Vuitton boutique at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands. The spectacular geometric buildings, called “crystal pavilions,” are outfitted with special glass panes that offer UV protection in order to preserve the goods inside the boutique. Crystal Pavilion North, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Herzog & de Meuron for Prada | Tokyo

Herzog & de Meuron’s 2003 Prada building in Tokyo. Photo: Courtesy of Prada

The Aoyama neighborhood of Tokyo is well known as a hub for fashion boutiques—particularly ones designed by award-winning architects. So it’s no surprise that acclaimed architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron designed Prada’s store here, creating an angular glass building with a fractured façade that recalls the form of a crystal, a building shape that stands out among its more traditional neighbors. 5-2-6, Minami-Aoyama, Minato-Ku, Tokyo

FUKSAS for Armani | New York

New York’s Armani flagship was crafted by FUKSAS. Photo: Courtesy of Fuksas/Armani

The third Armani boutique designed by Doriana and Massimiliano Fuksas (who helm innovative architecture studio FUKSAS) this sleek shop is located on New York’s iconic Fifth Avenue. The most compelling feature in the four-story space is an amorphous central staircase clad in steel, which brings a sense of movement to the store. Even the boutique’s façade is dynamic, with the ever-changing illumination of LED threads putting on a display for passersby. 717 Fifth Avenue, New York

SANAA and Peter Marino for Dior | Tokyo

Peter Marino revamped Dior’s SANAA-designed Tokyo building in 2014. Photo: Courtesy of Vogue Taiwan

Peter Marino makes a third appearance on our list, this time for renovating a Dior building originally designed by Tokyo-based practice SANAA. Marino left the firm’s glass exterior of the rectangular building and the acrylic panels behind it intact, but revamped the interiors, inspired by his work on the fashion house’s Avenue Montaigne flagship in Paris. 5-9-11 Jingumae, Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo

SHoP Architects for Thakoon | New York

SHoP Architects conjured a minimalist flagship for Thakoon in Soho. Photo: Naho Kubota/Courtesy of Thakoon

For his first boutique in Soho, Thakoon Panichgul tapped SHoP Architects to conceive the multi-functional space that encompasses a showroom, an atelier, as well as a fulfillment center. Working in a neutral palette, the firm’s Giancarlo Valle kept to a minimalist aesthetic that features several types of materials, including American white oak walls, travertine displays, and cement surfaces—the latter a creation of Brooklyn-based artist Fernando Mastrangelo. 70 Wooster Street, New York

OMA for Maison Ullens | Paris

Maison Ullens’s OMA-designed Paris shop. Photo: Courtesy of OMA

Not quite on Avenue Montaigne, Maison Ullens’s 8th-Arrondissement boutique is situated just off it on a quieter side street. OMA partner David Gianotten and project architect Inge Goudsmit spearheaded the design, which features an off-white onyx wall in the main open-plan space, and wood-paneled private rooms tucked away in the back for VIPs. 4 Rue de Marignan, Paris

Renzo Piano for Hermès | Tokyo

Renzo Piano designed this Tokyo flagship for Hermès. Photo: Michel Denancé

In 1998, Hermès commissioned world-renowned architect Renzo Piano to design this ten-story building to house its Tokyo flagship in the chic Ginza district. Impressively, the slim structure is only 32 feet wide, but it runs back more than 180 feet, offering plenty of space for the brand’s corporate offices, which occupy the upper floors. The boutique’s dazzling façade comprises 13,000 glass blocks that glitter in the daylight and glow at night. 5 Chome-4-1, Ginza, Tokyo

Philip Joseph for Erdem | London

Erdem’s London outpost. Photo: Courtesy of Erdem

Erdem Moralioglu collaborated with his partner, architect Philip Joseph, for his first boutique in London, located in the fashionable Mayfair neighborhood. Joseph wanted to make the store feel like a home in which an Erdem girl could comfortably live, which translated into floors of black Sainte Anne marble, vintage furniture from a local gallery, and Andy Warhol artworks. 70 South Audley Street, Mayfair, London