LANDING IN MILAN: The arrival of Gentle Monster in Milan did not go unnoticed.

On Friday night during Milan Fashion Week, the eyewear brand held a special event at its first store in Europe located inside the concept store 10 Corso Como. The new space spans 1,022 square feet and presents cybercore aesthetics, raw patterns, sheer materials and a silver color palette mixing classic with futuristic features. 

The store carries the brand’s jewelry collection, the Bold collection and Gentle Monster’s bestsellers. Also, the brand offered a first look at its third collaboration with Maison Margiela, which was celebrated by a temporary abstract human-shaped installation placed in the center of the store.

The collection includes 20 eyewear styles — eight sunglasses and 12 spectacles — that merge cyber-core style, metallic materials, cable temples and Maison Margiela’s iconic four white stitches. The statement pieces are available in silver and green metallics, as well as signature colors like black, gray, navy, ivory, red and tortoiseshell. Among the designs are three silhouettes set on super-light structures, as sunglasses with gold frames and as spectacles with silver frames. Two silhouettes are set on silver-tagged wire temples: a cat-eye version in black, gray and red and a wide round lens in black, brown and tortoiseshell.

The Margiela eyewear campaign was photographed and directed by Jordan Hemingway, which reflects on the alienation and attraction between humans and cyborgs. On Thursday, to mark the release of the collaboration, several stores around the world will host installations dedicated to the collection and its themes. 

Gentle Monster counts 72 stores worldwide in cities such as London, Los Angeles, Singapore and Shanghai. Since its foundation in 2011, the company has collaborated with luxury brands such as Moncler, Coperni, Fendi and with the likes of actress Tilda Swinton and South Korean singer Jennie.