10 Italian home brands gathered in one store
SUPER SALONE founder Andrew Ng has an interesting promise for the items carried in his store: “Usually, the items last longer than your house.”
With the opening of Super Salone at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall on Nov. 28, Mr. Ng showcased a collection of home furnishing and decorating brands that are present in his company’s showrooms across the metropolis, now compiled into one long gallery.
Of particular interest is a wardrobe by Rimadesio, showing lit glass shelves with elegant black hangers. A representative from the brand told BusinessWorld that the closet, fully customizable (from the size, number of shelves, and any other special features: the one in the store has leather trays serving as drawers) can reach up to P2 million (and maybe even higher, depending on how many more thingamajigs you can choose to attach to it).
Rimadesio (as well as another brand in the store, Oikos) is also known for luxury entryways (in layman’s terms: doors), ensuring that every moment spent at home truly can be a luxurious experience.
A bed stood near a wall of the store, decked out in linens and beddings made by Frette, an Italian company that dates to 1860 that once made linens for the House of Savoy (the Royal House of Italy, before being deposed after World War II). Their products were also used on the ill-fated Titanic and the storied Orient Express (and thanks to Super Salone, your own home).
Other brands they carry include furniture by Viccarbe, wall coverings by Glamora, carpets by Amini, and furniture by Arflex. Mr. Ng confesses to having many of these items in his own home: he likes his sofa from Arflex for its comfortable properties, and he heaps praise on his home’s Rimadesio doors. “It’s very durable. You use it every day. Open, close; open, close — several times a day. It lasts longer than your house,” he said, repeating the maxim.
Mr. Ng has been bringing in these Italian luxury (home) brands for about 10 years now, acquiring one brand a year and opening a showroom for each one, only now deciding to put them all in one place. His usual clients are in the “if you know, you know” category, citing interior designers and architects. He’s not quite done though: he plans to open further south in the Philippines, like in cities such as Cebu.
Mr. Ng has an attachment to Italian brands — he is one of the people who brought Benetton back to the Philippines (https://www.bworldonline.com/arts-and-leisure/2023/10/02/548941/in-a-touch-of-90s-nostalgia-united-colors-of-benetton-is-back/). He told BusinessWorld: “Fashion and design is their top product. They’re known for that, besides food, wine — these are their core produce,” he said. “There are a lot of similarities (with the Philippines) when it comes to family.
“That’s why I love Italy.”
Super Salone is at the 4th level of the Shangri-La Plaza bridgeway. — Joseph L. Garcia
