Ryan Korban Creates A Shoe Shrine For Aquazzura

Edgardo Osorio hit the footwear scene with Aquazzura and quickly joined rank with the biggest players in the shoe game—and now he has the Madison Avenue boutique to prove it. A literal shrine to shoes by interior designer to the cool kids Ryan Korban, the boutique clocks in at 2,221 square feet of blush pink marble, suede walls and velvet couches.

A space with so much color is a departure from Korban's monochromatic aesthetic, but the designer knew he was headed in a fresh direction when Osorio told him, "I don't want just another chic store on Madison Avenue, I really want something that people are going to go, "wow, what is that?"

So why pink? "I thought let's pick one color because it feels iconic," Korban continues, "And how do we make it become a neutral? The answer was to really just to use it in excess." The color extends all the way to the custom grout between the marble tiles.

The black and white stripes are an Aquazzura signature because as Korban says, "Edgardo has this philosophy with his retail design that he doesn't want any store to feel exactly the same…he wants everything to be different and I think that's sort of why he's so exciting and his approach to everything is so exciting, but the brand DNA is in the stripes."

The space has a Moroccan meets Roman temple vibe, with arches inspired by the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella in Florence—the site of the brand's headquarters. "The first things I thought when Edgardo started talking to me about the store were international and sexy and youthful—how do we make it feel very international? So we looked at different places around the world, put it through my filter and saw what came out."

The feminine-meets-graphic results house Aquazzura's full collection, made-to-order styles and an inaugural bridal collection.

Osorio is a fan of the final product, "I love that this space has a unique soul from my other stores. I wanted it to feel like Madison Avenue's very own 'Church of Shoes'."

 From: Harper's BAZAAR US