Sergio Rossi and Wallpaper* magazine continue to collaborate on the Men’s Footwear World Tour announcing the opening of the next location in Casablanca. Following resounding success with the first stop on the Men’s Footwear Tour in Brera, Milan’s most stylish district, Sergio Rossi launched a second men’s shoe store in Galeries Lafayette Casablanca on December 2011.

The World Tour concept has been inspired by the essence of the ‘Sergio Rossi’ man – an independent, free-thinking, seductive man and importantly, one who is on a constant journey of discovery. It is in Milan that the journey began in 2010 – with the launch of Sergio Rossi’s first concept store. Situated in fashionable Brera, the store showcases the entire men’s collection designed by the Creative Director of the brand, Francesco Russo. In 2011 the tour continues.

The next ventures on the grand tour will be developed along with a rising design star in each country, to create the environments, local vernacular and an understanding of heritage being an imperative part of the experience and journey. “Morocco, a Mediterranean country, both geographically and cultural, is a country where garment is great with refined kaftans and colourful djellabas, where craftsmanship is particularly rich and architecture is majestic” comments Younes Duret, the French-Moroccan designer of the store in Casablanca.

He combines strong Moroccan ethnicity with a creative transgression to design a liberated and inspiring space. The motifs Duret has used are a modern inflection on an ancient form, as he creates a composition consisting of a mantelpiece of a repeated 3-dimenionsal oriental pattern as the platform for the men’s shoe collection.

“We apply creative transgression to make the space more free, liberated, inspired, through shifts in proportions, the materials and colours used, the extra detailing and the high-quality craftsmanship” according to Duret, in response to Creative Director Russo – “we steer clear of the conventional, we decry the formulaic, we re-invent the classic. We reject the outdated cliché – we champion the stylish man’s right to look elegant”.

Photography by Alexandre Chaplier

http://www.contemporist.com/2012/01/03/sergio-rossi-shop-by-younes-duret-design/