Patrice Louvet is a Frenchman who speaks English without any accent, which is quite rare. It has the grace of a true gentleman, we could say, and the practical and direct approach of the Americans. Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise: since July 2017 Louvet has been CEO and president of Ralph Lauren, the most American of American brands, but also the American brand that Europeans and Italians in particular have liked the most and for the longest time. A success linked to the long history of Ralph Lauren, to the ability to dress every generation and, perhaps not least, to the fascination exercised by its founder, now executive president and chief creative director of the company to which, in 1967, he gave his name , opening the first single-brand store in 1971. In four years Louvet has contributed to an acceleration of all the company’s brands and to the growth of what he calls Ralph Lauren’s “global digital ecosystem”, without taking anything away from physical retail, which continues to play an important role, as demonstrated by the opening of the Milan flagship store in recent days, after the recent ones in Forte dei Marmi and Florence.
You have been missing from the fashion district for some years. Was it difficult to find the right location?
Physical shops have changed a lot, but they remain an important investment and in the most famous shopping streets, such as via Spiga or Monte Napoleone, the costs are very high and it is not easy to seize the right opportunities. We evaluated some options and in the end the historic building at 5 via Spiga seemed perfect to us. Fascinating from the outside, it was ideal for building the Milanese version of the Ralph Lauren universe inside, as is the case in many other flagship stores around the world. Everyone has their own personality.
What is special about Milan?
The surprise is The Bar at Ralph Lauren space, which we can define as the first proposal linked to the vast world of hospitality in Italy: it offers an American experience and food, because everything in the shop is unmistakably made in the USA, but with a Milanese touch. Your city is full of secrets to discover, such as the garden courtyard of the building we have chosen, which the bar overlooks. The beating heart, however, is always the product: distributed over 1,500 square meters and five floors there are all the men’s and women’s lines in the world of Ralph Lauren.