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Luxury fashion is walking tall in malls

The Dubai Mall's luxury extension is truly something to see. Already the world's largest mall when it opened a decade ago, The Dubai Mall was not large enough it seems. Last month, after much delay, the new extension was unveiled. It will be home to 150 retail stores. Dubai has always been known as the Mecca of shopping, and this extension gives more credence to the view.
But does it truly stand out? I would say, yes. After covering fashion industry for over two decades, it is hard to impress me. But this extension has. I would happily move into their ladies room, with its dressing area, and perfect lighting - every fashion girl's dream. But, of course, a mall is about the stores, and yet it would be wrong to call the retail outlets at The Dubai Mall's new luxury extension stores. They are status symbols that make you want to have a part of them. Some of them are opening as you read this piece, while some are open for business already. One of the first off the ground was Gucci. It's truly worth visiting this three-storey flagship. It even has a do it yourself (DIY) service, which allows customers to express themselves through personalisation services of selected products. And even if you are not in the mood to shop, this one is worth visiting just because of the interiors which are a masterful mix - and resonate the magpie extravagance that Gucci's creative director Alessandro Michele is known for. Willow green and shingle orange are the mainstay hues of the store with the women's fitting rooms in satin mauve and its peacock blue for the men. You cannot help but feel joyful when you step into this store. At the same time you do wonder how with all this talk of on-line shopping eating into the revenues of brick and mortar retail, why a luxury brand with the retail know how of Gucci would open such a large store.
Well it is these new flagships that seem to be the answer. You will notice many of the stores - be it the multiband Symphony or Yves Saint Laurent - are two-storey mega concept retail stores. This gives the "in-mall" flagships, the window displays of a New York Madison Avenue store or London's Sloane Street. The size alone of these stores say "look at me".  And millennials as we know are always looking for something new, something different and something that is "instagramable". Hence, these flagships. Luxury brands know the millennial are the future, and so they must keep them engaged. Even if many of them make the actual purchase online, these large format stores entice them to visit a brick and motar store - and it is in these spaces that they understand the feel and ethos of a brand.  It's about building a relationship.
And let's not forget, for luxury brands much of their presence is also about the baby boomers. They still shop at stores, but they now become jaded with things - it's more about experiences for them. And these Dubai Mall stores are almost a case study in experiential retail, whether it is personalising a bag at Moynat with artwork and initials or making a special order for home décor pieces at Gucci. These stores have something unique that makes you want to visit. Some have private shopping rooms, so you feel like it's a truly exclusive and personal. It's about making shopping an enjoyable experience. Of course, these large stores come at a cost so in major fashion cites (like Dubai) you need to combine the "less is more" theory with "more is more" theory. And that means you have one or two stores at the important malls or streets, and not a store at every mall and every high street-and then ensure the stores you have are so impressive that they leave a lasting impression. Simply put it is about quality over quantity, a philosophy that is at the core of most luxury fashion houses.
Sujata Assomull is Consulting Fashion Editor at Khaleej Times