Daslu's began when Lucia (mother of current owner Eliana Tranchesi) began purchasing luxury goods on her world travels. She brought the loot home to sell to her fellow society wives. As her maids served tea and tended to her guest, Lucia played personal shopper and the service model, so rare in shopping these days, remains basically the same to this day.
The model has been scaled up, up of corse. Even though Eliana walks the floor herself, the personal shopper role is now filled by the daughters of society. A Brazilian version of the Southern Debutant, the girls guide their assigned shopper through the maze that is Daslu.
The current building's layout is a glammed up homage home atmosphere of the original. As the original Daslu grew, Lucia bought up homes surrounding her own, connecting each with a breezeway and assigning each room a brand or a theme. By the 1990's word was spreading and a curious Chanel representative stopped by. Astonished, he quickly demanded a store. Other brands eventually followed suit.
In 2005 Dalsu, now spanning 23 houses, had maxed out on space and built it's current 180,000 square foot location. The site, menacingly close to a massive favela, a Brazialian shantytown, quickly stirred up social tension in Sao Paolo. The New York Times reports:
"Only days before Daslu moved to its new location...Brazil's minimum wage is $125 a month, and nearly a third of the population lives on less than $2 a day. Daslu's new location has made it a flashpoint for debate on social inequities in Brazil."
A decorative helicopter, often dressed to suit the season.
Protests quickly followed, but to be rich in São Paolo means to travel with security. The insular upper class enters the twice gated Daslu compound in armored limos, (or São Paolo's current favorite mode of transport, helicopter) and cross the threshold into a world where style and affluence can be flaunted without fear of attack from the desperately poor. Outside, they fear simply walking down the street. Inside, women freely disrobe on the sales floor to try on the latest from Paris. This has elvelated Deslu from shopping experience to a social hub for the elite.
According to businessoffashion.com Daslu continues to thrive despite retailers setting up their own shops in emerging shopping districts. This is thanks largely in part to the service, including those personal shoppers
After all, "who better to give style advice than people who really understand that helicopter world that these women live in?"
Check out the Book Delux by Dana Thomas for more info on Daslu and the global luxury industry.
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