Detroit is better known for its gritty motor history than its luxury brands, but Gucci has opened a permanent 3,500 sq ft store in the city’s downtown.
The Italian heritage brand has been eying Detroit since 2019 when it launched its Gucci North America Changemaker’s programme to spotlight talent in the city. Its new retail space opens just in time for September’s Detroit Month of Design and takes over the bottom floors of landmark 1274 Library Street.
Known as the LB King Building, the 1911 office building was designed by architects Rogers and MacFarlane for a china and glassware firm in Renaissance Revival style. It features a steel frame clad in glistening white terracotta tiles, and the facade has symmetrical Chicago-style windows and ornate cornicing, while the ground and first floors are almost entirely glass.
These ornate stained glass panels have been restored, and trims painted Gucci green, offset by the gilded lettering of the Gucci name.
Inside, the green colour scheme continues across geometric tiling, contrasting yellow display shelves illuminated by neon light rigs suspended from the ceiling above. Luxe textiles come via plump velvet seating and heavy curtains, while the women and menswear departments have mosaic, mirrored tiles on columns.
Patrons can shop the brand’s Décor line, jewellery, and men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections, including a special store-exclusive collaboration with local designer Tommey Walker’s label DETROIT Vs EVERYBODY for Detroit Design Month. Gucci is also organising an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit MOCAD.
1274 Library St, Detroit, MI 48226, United States
