Grifo210

The groundwork of the imagery in the project for Grifo210 comes from the ramified and rich local Ischia architectural literature and the theme of the Mediterranean essence. These concepts were absorbed, lived in and interpreted over time on the island. Ischia, despite the frequent aggregations of buildings, maintains a unique landscape unity in the Mediterranean Sea, among the lush green, the tuff mountain and the crystal-clear sea.

We have been inspired by the green island from the rich vegetation, replicated here in the shop windows with local and tropical plants. Those are little green shards which aim to recall the panorama of the island among exoticism, rocks and the Mediterranean Sea. The exotic plants are as well a tribute to the La Mortella gardens, created on the island by Lady Susana and Sir William Walton with Russell Page in the fifties.

The glamour fashion store – Grifo210, is located on the main street Corso Vittoria Colonna.
The interior is composed of a single space, divided in 3 bays composed by extradoxed vaults. We decided to shape this cover on its side with movable semi-transparent curtains. The curtains create cozy exedras in the first two rooms; a recall of those intermediate and welcoming spaces, located between the outer gardens and the covered entrance halls, which can be found in the palaces of Ischia Ponte of the XVIII century.

The paving made in natural clear battuto was created by hand with fragments of local lava stone. The metal stands for the clothes are secured to the ground, while the display counter and the cash register bring to mind the dynamics of the opposed circles of Sonia Delaunay’s Recherches Graphiques of 1964: semicircular shreds that cut the void around them.

The vibrations of the colors are left to the movable display elements, which blend into space depending on the necessities and on the scenic designs. Here too, we recalled the chromatic palette of this volcanic land, made by warm and matte colors.