Fashionable Floor Finish for Balenciaga Outlet Store in Tianjin, China

Luxury Italian fashion retailer Balenciaga has chosen resin flooring solutions from Flowcrete Asia to create an on-brand floor finish that would maintain a high-end appearance for an extended period of time at its outlet store located in Tianjin, North East China.

Founded by Cristobal Balenciaga in 1917, Balenciaga is well known for spearheading a fashion revolution and creating avant-garde structural pieces that reference traditional tailoring techniques.

The Tianjin outlet store simulates the environment of a clothing warehouse to evoke an industrial-chic shopping environment through the use of textured and cast concrete, aluminium and utilitarian synthetic-leather benches, in line with the rest of the brand’s boutiques. It carries womenswear, menswear, footwear and accessories, including Balenciaga’s famed line of handbags, which are coveted by fashionistas and celebrities alike.

The new store is located in Florentia Village a series of leading international luxury designer outlet malls owned by the RDM Group and inspired by classic Italian architecture and design.

The shopping complex offers scenes of Florence including an Italian-styled city plaza, paved streets, porches, fountains and luxury brands such including Prada, Gucci, Givenchy, Fendi and Burberry.

Since its first opening in China in 2011, Florentia Village has been aggressively expanding its footprint across Greater China, and is now operating premium outlet centres in six major cities – Hong Kong, Tianjin, Shanghai, Foshan, Wuhan and Chengdu, with a yearly turnover of RMB 6.7 Billion and growth of 22%.

The outlet chain has introduced to Chinese fashion-savvy consumers close to 300 international brands at attractive discounts of up to 80%. Some brands even have their outlet stores exclusively at Florentia Village.

The quality of the brands and goods at the Florentia Village Outlet Mall means it is imperative that the interior of each store reflects the very highest standards of style and store design.

To achieve a floor finish that met this aesthetic demand and that would complement its visual identity and products, Balenciaga installed more than 100 m² of Flowcrete Asia’s high build epoxy resin coating system Flowcoat SF41 (2mm) combined with a topcoat of the polyurethane system Flowcoat HTS.

This flooring specification provided an attractive, semi-gloss finish throughout the store. The project’s designers chose the colour Mid Grey as it tied into the outlet’s overall visuals, matching the grey walls, shelves and tables to create a modern backdrop to the store’s cutting-edge fashion items.

The robust nature of Flowcoat SF41 combined with Flowcoat HTS means that Balenciaga can rest assured its floor won’t deteriorate or lose its aesthetic appeal despite the heavy foot traffic, abrasions, impacts and frequent cleaning that it would inevitably face.

The floor’s colour will also be protected against prolonged exposure to sunlight and UV-rays thanks to the UV stable properties of Flowcoat HTS. The flooring project was completed in only seven days and thanks to the successful application of these materials, Balenciaga has specified the same flooring build-up in a number of its stores across China.

The project comes at a time where Chinese designer outlet malls are booming as high street retailers and department stores continue to feel the pinch as shoppers visit outlets for discounts, designer brands, and a day out.