projects | Viabizzuno progettiamo la luce

in the ten years or more since the italian fashion designer launched his first collection, the giambattista valli label earned itself a name as an emerging giant on the italian fashion scene. the roman stylist's creations very quickly entered the hearts of international audiences, the french fashion scene in particular. the bond with the country is a special one, given that the first valli catwalk show was held in paris. and the brand's first boutique - a place of characteristic italian elegance and savoir-faire, was also opened in the french capital, a stone's throw from the madeleine church in the 9th arrondissement. after the first showroom in rue boissy d'anglas came a second one across the street: a warm, sophisticated space designed to show the products of the stylist's creative verve and imagination - his fabulous clothes, footwear and accessories - in the very best light. in order to frame them in all their fabulousness, the architect chose men sole by Viabizzuno, a shelf lighting solution designed by mario nanni and featuring plug'n'play power rails in a special high-conductivity alloy. the clothes and shoes look like they have light radiating from within them, thanks to the light strips along the edges of the glass shelves, heightening their finer points and allowing the observer to appreciate the intricacy of the workmanship. the high-quality lighting was not the only reason the shelving system was picked; major factors in the selection were the ease and flexibility with which individual shelf height can be adjusted. this proved to be an important feature at the design stage, given how often in-store shelf layouts are changed. the space between two shelves can be altered in a matter of seconds thanks to the vertical plug'n'play power rails which do away with the need to rewire. the vibe in the shop is made even more appealing by the m6 ceiling system. the light generated frames valli's clothes from above, in line with the idea of optimizing space wherever possible. part of the overhead lighting was developed using the 094 system, creating clear and distinct shards of light across the ceiling of the boutique.