Folli Follie and Ratti open FR Boutique together

The wait lasted a few months, but it was worth it. On Via Clavature 15, in the heart of Bologna's shopping district, FR, a multibrand store resulting from the collaboration between two of Italy's most important buyers, Follie Follie and Ratti, will be inaugurated this evening (September 15).

‘The idea to focus our efforts on Bologna came to us during an happy hour in Milan,’ explain Francesco Galli and Matilde d’Ovidio Ratti. ‘Both of us were looking to evolve our activities in Bologna, and we decided to try it together. So, we closed the stores we had in the city and created this new brand.’

The store opened its doors in April in the 15th-century building where the Ratti boutique used to be, but the space has been expanded and completely renovated, with an area of about 1,200 square meters, spread over three floors and accessible through three entrances.

‘The opening happened in three phases,’ Matilde d’Ovidio Ratti and Francesco Galli told the press while presenting the boutique. ‘In April, we started with the women's section, then came the men's area, and the Dior shop was the real cherry on top, arriving at the end of July before the holidays.’

With a brand list of over 160 names across clothing and accessories, FR—named after the two businesses that gave rise to the project—will save many Bolognese residents trips for shopping in Milan.

All the major brands present in the previous Ratti and Follie Follie stores in Bologna are here. ‘But there are also exciting new additions,’ the two buyers note, ‘such as exclusives from Roger Vivier and Saint Laurent.’

Inside the boutique, designed by Baciocchi Associati, there is space for everyone, not only Italian and French brands (Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Balenciaga, Ferragamo). An important part of the selling space is dedicated to brands like Stone Island and contemporary labels such as Palm Angels, Kappa Kontroll, and Alanui.

September 15, 2017

Read the full article (Italianon Fashion Magazine