Compared to other European capitals, luxury retail has had quite a late start in Amsterdam, but eventually a stronghold of highly coveted and fashionable trophies emerged on P.C. Hooftstraat, a rather inconspicuous residential street outside the city centre until two decades ago. Needless to say, Dior settled here as well in 2014, and just last summer, it has raised its profile there by expanding next door. Fast forward to mid-December 2022 and the iconic fashion house has inaugurated a second standalone boutique in the city on Dam square, the most prominent square smack in the middle of the city’s Canal District. The opening is rather unprecedented, and may be paving the way for more peers from fashion’s upper echelon to also set up shop in the longtime overlooked downtown area. The fashion house has secured a location directly opposite luxury department store de Bijenkorf, occupying 600 sqm. (6,458 sq.ft.) set across three floors of a red brick 1930s building by Dutch architect Jan Gratama.

The interior design, created by the brand’s in-house design team in Paris, is modern and sophisticated, and takes subtle cues from the brand’s flagship store on avenue Montaigne in the French capital, featuring a myriad of signature references, such as Versailles parquet and the cannage motif, which is depicted on large panels. The ground floor is home to Dior‘s Cruise 2023 Collection, in which creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri pays homage to the virtuosity of the culture and savoir-faire of the Spanish region of Andalusia, in a setting highlighted by soft shades of white, beige, gold and a delicate touch of pink. One floor up, accessories, shoes and iconic bags are presented. The third floor is home to Dior‘s men’s collection designed by Kim Jones. The setting here is captured by alluring tones of blue, and paired with carefully sourced designer furniture and sculptural works of art by Tony Jouanneau, designer at Paris-based design lab atelier SUMBIOSIS.