See Inside One Italian Designer’s Full-On Fairytale
Wonderland, Found!
In Milan, fashion designer Antonio Marras has created the most magical space in the least likely of places.
By Maia Schoenfelder
If you head just beyond the limits of Milan’s city center, just behind Park Solari, you’ll find an old garage—which from the street looks no different than the rest of the anonymous buildings on either side of it. Step inside however, and enter a wonderland created and curated by fashion designer Antonio Marras. Marras launched his first collection in 1996, he currently designs three lines—Antonio Marras women, Antonio Marras men, and I’M Isola Marras—and has served as artistic director for Kenzo. His space in Milan (he has four others around the world), called Nonostante Marras, combines the best elements of a high-end fashion store with a no-frills flower shop, a well-stocked library, and a comfy meeting spot. Each corner of the room, sectioned off by racks of beautiful clothes, is adorned with squashy modern couches, vintage light fixtures, mirrors, floral bouquets, niche magazines, fun accessories, and exciting art. Can’t make it to Italy? Let us take you on a tour.
An upside-down garden greets you as you enter the space.
An off-white color palette prevails in one corner of the shop.
The library is home to books, magazines, small-press prints, and secondhand novels.
Bicycle wheels meet cotton dresses. The result? A forest of fun lamps.
A silver top from Marras’s current collection shines in front of some silver planters.
Marras’s designs are intricate, and wonderfully maximalist.
Stop and smell the flowers? Don’t mind if we do.
Every corner of the shop is designed to bring the clothes to life.
Next time you’re in Milan, escape the city and head to Via Cola di Rienzo, 8. nonostantemarras.it.
This is a republished version of the original article that was featured in Sweet on Snapchat Discover and is no longer available online