Like Traveling in Italy... Galleria Department Store Hosts 'Viva! Italia'

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] Galleria Department Store announced on the 7th that it will hold ‘Viva! Italia 2020’ for three weeks starting from the 12th in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency.

In this event, a total of over 100 Italian brands and artists, combining tradition and expertise, will be introduced in the areas of clothing, food, and housing under the theme of ‘the most Italian way of life’ through each branch and the online mall. For the past two years, the event was held only at the Apgujeong Luxury Hall in Seoul, but this year, considering the demand for overseas travel, the scale has been expanded to include the Luxury Hall, Suwon Gwanggyo, Daejeon Timeworld, Seoul Gourmet 494 Hannam offline stores, as well as the Galleria Mall online.

To commemorate this event, Galleria will hold its second unboxing live broadcast on the 21st under the theme of ‘Viva! Italia’. The Italian women’s premium contemporary brand ‘N.21’ and the perfume brand ‘Acqua di Parma’ will participate. At the Luxury Hall, Gwanggyo, and Timeworld, various Italian fashion brands will be introduced at each branch, offering brand-specific discounts and gift promotions. At ‘g.street 494 Homme,’ the men’s select shop directly managed by Galleria Luxury Hall, Italian classic wear such as ‘Marni’ and ‘Cesare Attolini’ will be showcased. Galleria Gwanggyo and Timeworld will hold brand-specific styling classes to introduce this year’s Italian Fall/Winter (FW) new fashion items. At the VIP lounge ‘Maison Galleria Hannam’ in Gourmet 494 Hannam, programs to experience high-end Italian fashion, culture, and style will be conducted.

The ‘Festival Vino & Cucina’ event, where visitors can experience Italian food culture, will also be held at each branch. At the food hall ‘Gourmet 494’ and the special Vino event venue, Italian representative winery wines will be sold at discounted prices along with special promotions on ingredients, introducing Italian food culture through the event. On the 5th floor of the Galleria Luxury Hall West, a 100-pyeong (approx. 330 sqm) Italian food expo hall will be set up with the concept of touring Italian wineries and markets. In this space, over 250 types of representative Italian wines such as ‘Antinori’ and ‘Gaja,’ as well as over 100 types of premium ingredients like truffles and olives, will be exhibited and sold. Small-scale reservation-based wine tasting classes conducted by brand marketers will also be held. At Gourmet 494 Hannam, special promotions on ingredients that pair well with Italian wine will be offered during the event period. The Italian truffle specialty brand ‘King of Truffle’ and various pastas, oils, and sauces will be sold at discounts ranging from 10% to 50%.

At Galleria Gwanggyo, a pop-up store themed ‘Italian Design Parade’ focusing on Italian living and lifestyle will be held from the 12th to the 29th. Representative works of eight Italian design masters will be exhibited and sold. Iconic furniture and lighting by world-renowned industrial designers such as ▲Ettore Sottsass ▲Achille Castiglioni ▲Bruno Munari ▲Michele De Lucchi will be displayed as part of an art project that breaks down the boundaries between department stores and art museums. Through collaboration with domestic living select shops such as Rooming, Atempo, and Albus Gallery, furniture and accessories from popular Italian designers and brands will be sold simultaneously.

On the online mall Galleria Mall, a special exhibition featuring various Italian brands including fashion, cosmetics, and living products will be held from the 12th to the 8th of next month. Customers who purchase over 100,000 KRW worth of Italian brand products will be entered into a draw to receive reward points worth 50,000, 30,000, or 10,000 KRW, which can be used like cash.

An off-site stage for the event will also be held at Garosu-gil in Sinsa-dong. At ‘High Street Italia,’ a promotional hall operated by the Italian Trade Agency, various Italian brands curated by Galleria will be showcased from the 14th to the 30th. From clothing to accessories, including Italy’s finest suits, shoes, glasses, and miscellaneous goods, fashion styling will be introduced along with personalized services through events.

A Galleria Department Store official said, “With recent social issues making it difficult to visit Europe, the biggest attraction of this event is that customers can soothe their travel regrets at the department store,” adding, “Like ‘Viva! Italia,’ which has been successfully held since 2018, we will continue to offer differentiated content and cultural experiences to our customers.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.