Six luxury brand names will take the coveted storefront shop spaces in Ion Orchard when it opens at the end of the year
WITH 11m-tall storefronts, you could say these retailers have their I-on making the upcoming Orchard Turn mall a traffic-stopper.
LUXE LIFE: The Dolce & Gabbana shop in Ion Orchard will be modelled after the one in Osaka, Japan (above) with its glossy black theme. -- PHOTO: CLUB 21After months of speculation, international luxury brands Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Prada, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana and Giorgio Armani have been unveiled as the stores that will occupy the six coveted double-storey flagships in Ion Orchard.
Orchard Turn Developments, a joint venture between Singapore-listed CapitaLand and Hong Kong's Sun Hung Kai Properties, announced the mall's first six tenants yesterday.
Describing the six labels as 'superbrands', Ms Soon Su Lin, its chief executive, said: 'Having them as our first confirmed tenants will provide an even more compelling factor for other fashion and lifestyle brands to establish their concept and flagship stores at Ion Orchard.'
The mall at the junction of Orchard and Paterson roads is set to be completed by year's end. It will boast eight retail levels - four of them above ground and four below.
The six duplexes will be situated side by side on the first and second floors with a combined retail space of almost 50,000 sq ft. Each will have its own distinct interior and facade design as window displays and in-store features, such as VIP rooms and staircases, can be customised.
'Our unique building facade... will be well-integrated with the proposed enhanced pedestrian mall with interesting urban green rooms, to create a lively streetscape,' said Ms Soon.
For Italian label Giorgio Armani, the Ion Orchard's duplex store will be its latest megastore in Asia. Last November, it opened a 12-storey tower in the heart of Tokyo's Ginza district.
The label, along with Italian marque Dolce & Gabbana, is distributed here by home-grown luxury retailer Club 21.
A Club 21 spokesman said the group decided to relocate these two brands from the Hilton Shopping Gallery to Ion Orchard because of their 'commercial potential'.
The stores' design will also 'follow very much the international template', he added.
The Dolce & Gabbana boutique, for instance, will resemble its store in Osaka, Japan, which features basalt stone, black glass and Murano glass chandeliers.
For Prada, Louis Vuitton and Cartier, the duplexes will be new stores rather than replacements for their existing standalone stores. Prada has a boutique in Paragon shopping centre while Louis Vuitton and Cartier have flagships in Ngee Ann City.
Richemont-owned French jeweller Cartier is not concerned about the proximity of its two stores.
Its managing director, Mr Christopher Kilaniotis, said: 'If you look at Hong Kong and the Ginza district in Tokyo, the leading luxury brands there have more than one flagship store that are very close to each other.
'We would like to have two large stores in Orchard Road but each with its own character and style.'
The new store will carry all the product lines from watches and jewellery to men's accessories.
He added: 'Singapore has suffered from a lack of prime luxury retail space which made it difficult for brands to expand. Ion Orchard comes at the right time to satisfy that demand.'
Ion Orchard is not the only mall that is set to transform the look of Singapore's main shopping belt.
Paragon, which is owned by Singapore Press Holdings, will begin a $45 million makeover this month to update its building facade and increase the mall's retail space.
Its current glass and granite facade cladding will make way for pop-out glass boxes. The facelift is expected to be completed in October.
Mr Tang Wee Sung, chairman of CK Tang, said: 'A duplex seems mandatory if you're a superbrand. I think these six brands will enhance Singapore's standing as a premier shopping destination both in the region and around the world.'
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