by Mengly Taing

Photo by Vincent Huang

HEART OF GOLD: Despite dense clouds overlooking the city on Thursday evening, Taipei 101 lit up the night sky as Gucci celebrated the opening of its newest flagship store in Taiwan with an intimate dinner co-chaired by newly-appointed Gucci China president Carol Shen and Taipei 101 executive vice president Ringo Chao.

The 84th floor of the iconic tower was transformed into an exhibition space featuring rare jewels and minaudières from the company’s archives at the Gucci Museo in Florence, as well as a selection of Gucci Première gowns.

The opening has a charitable component as well. Gucci creative director Frida Giannini designed a limited-edition Boston bag and silk scarf, featuring a unique Taipei 101 design with a collage of postage stamps inspired by Taiwan’s natural beauty, for the store. A fourth of the bag’s proceeds will benefit World Vision Taiwan, which builds children’s centers in poverty-stricken communities on the island. Shen and Chao also announced a collaboration to auction off 101 teddy bears to support the Naluo Children’s Center.

“Being responsible in the way that we conduct our business is a fundamental part of our DNA, as are our values of quality, creativity, and Italian artisanal craftsmanship for which our brand is renowned,” Shen said.

Covering an area of 9,720 square-feet, the store is three times larger than the former space Gucci occupied in the mall, which only had handbags and accessories. The new space carries all of the brand’s collections.

The store Art Deco-inspired style, designed by Giannini, features rosewood shelves and marble floors, as well as bronze glass, mirrored walls and polished gold details. Li Bingbing, the current face of the brand’s accessories campaigns, made an appearance at the store’s ribbon-cutting event.

The move comes just in time for the holiday rush and right in the middle of the island’s first nationwide shopping festival. Prada and Tod’s also celebrated store openings in Taipei in recent weeks.