The first high-end factory outlet village opened in Italy in 2000. The format of this type of shopping centre consists of an open-air setting where everything has been planned to enhance the consumption experience, from architecture to entertainment offers and the selection of commodities sold (mostly luxury brands sold at 30 to 70 per cent below retail price). High-end factory outlet villages have enjoyed enormous success, measured both by their retail performance and as a cultural phenomenon. The word 'outlet' has entered ordinary language and is used to pinpoint the format in short, or even as a metaphor for consumerism.Most importantly, high-end factory outlet villages have been able to influence, in many cases, an economic and symbolic restructuring process of the areas in which they are located .The book, aimed at readers across disciplines, focuses on a specific kind of place devoted to leisure shopping, a consumption practice that is both trivial and problematic, and has contributed to shaping the ordinary landscapes in which we live and with which we interact.
Title: New itineraries of consumption
Author(s): Chiara Rabbiosi
Publisher: Maggioli SpA
Year of publication: 04/2013
Pages: 128
Book series: Politecnica
Series: Commerce, services and area
Topic: Architecture
Language: Italian / English
ISBN code: 883876218X
EAN code: 9788838762185
Chiara Rabbiosi
Chiara Rabbiosi was awarded a Ph.D. in Urban and Local European Studies in 2009. She has conducted research and taught at Italian and foreign universities (University of Milan-Bicocca, Politecnico of Milano, University of Helsinki, University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna). She is interested both in theory and in applied research focusing on the social and spatial dimensions of urban studies and consumer culture.