High-end happenings

Famed Italian fashion house lavishes Austin with its first full-scale store

While the Austin store isn't likely to be as ritzy as this flagship store in Japan, it will definitely be dazzling.

Gucci/Instagram

Gucci, the iconic Italian purveyor of luxury bags, clothing, jewelry, and cosmetics, is set to debut its first Austin outpost next year.

Gucci plans to spend $1.5 million on a new 5,089-square-foot store at 11601 Century Oaks Terr. in North Austin’s Domain mixed-use complex. Valhalla, New York-based Atmosphere Design Group is designing the store.

A filing with the State of Texas shows construction on the store will begin July 1 and be completed January 14.

The Austin metro area does have one Gucci store, which is at the San Marcos Premium Outlets. The Domain store would be the area’s first full-scale Gucci shop, though. Gucci also has locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio areas.

The Gucci line falls under a corporate umbrella that also includes high-end fashion brands such as Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, and Yves Saint Laurent. Gucci is marking its 100th anniversary this year.

In a recent news release, François-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of Gucci’s parent company, said he was “particularly pleased with Gucci’s momentum as the brand kicks off its centennial celebration.” In the first quarter of this year, Gucci posted $2.6 billion in revenue.

A study released last month by Luxe Digital ranked Gucci the most popular luxury brand, as measured by Google searches, web traffic, and social media reach.

“In what might be of little surprise to many, Italian luxury fashion house Gucci maintains the top spot on the 2021 edition of our list of the most popular luxury brands online, well ahead of all its competitors and for four consecutive years,” Luxe Digital observes.

Representatives of Gucci couldn’t be reached for comment.

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Concert News

Austin icon Gary Clark Jr. to play free show launching wife's maternity pop-up

Photo courtesy of Bumpsuit

Bumpsuit is now open at the Domain Northside.

Austin icon Gary Clark Jr. is playing a free hometown show on Friday, December 13, to celebrate the opening of his wife, Nicole Trunfio's trendy maternity store, Bumpsuit. It's open now, and will be in Austin for six months.

Clark will be playing with his band: King Zapata and Elijah Ford on guitar, JJ Johnson on drums, and Dayne Reliford on backup vocals and keyboard.

They're fresh off the announcement that Clark will receive a Texas Medal of Arts, one of the highest honors a Texas artist can receive. He's known for modernizing the blues — not overwriting past traditions, but bringing the established sound into popular music people love whether they're conscious of the genre or not.

The new store's neighbor Grimaldi's Pizzeria is bringing a pop-up bar to the event, and there will also be yard games, photo opportunities, and more, according to a release.

Bumpsuit is filling an auspicious space for minimalist fashion at Domain Northside. It'll spend its tenure at 11700 Domain Blvd. Suite 120, the former site of Austin's first Skims Workshop, which has since moved on to a permanent location in the same shopping center.

The two stores are very similar in aesthetic, with Trunfio's focusing on maternity and postpartum wear. Styles are generally made in neutrals or jewel tones, and cut in extremely simple shapes.

“After spending our summer on tour as a family with Gary and his band, we are excited to end the year at Domain Northside to coincide with the opening of our Bumpsuit store,” said Trunfio in the release.

"Doors" for the (presumably outdoor) concert next to Bumpsuit neighbor Vuori (11701 Domain Blvd. Suite 154) are at 7 pm; the show starts at 8:30 pm.

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