Credit: Prada
We let ourselves be captivated by the sound of paper opening, by the satin ribbon that slowly unravels, by the box lidthat lifts to reveal a perfect dust bag inside. The more layers there are, the greater the anticipation. The more refined the packaging, the stronger the desire. Thanks to the ritual of unboxing, the packaging of luxury brands is an integral part of the shopping experience, and sometimes these containers, canvas bags and labels themselves become collectible items.
«When you open the container of a luxury item, an emotion must come out», says Paolo Pianigiani of Mannucci Packaging, a Tuscan company active in this field since 1963. It is not just a simple box: it is a display, a second skin of the object, which for this reason must follow specific codes in design, textures and materials. Some examples: the packaging of Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Prada.
LOUIS VUITTON
The identity of Louis Vuitton is expressed in the colour of the paper, the Safran Impérial, a specific shade of yellow-orange. The pack design is directly inspired by the first wooden trunks created by the maison, often decorated with coloured stripes, recalled today by the electric blue ribbon on the packaging. Some boxes have a drawer structurewith a fabric pull tab, where the content slides on an inner tray.
CHANEL
The packaging of Chanel is distinguished by a small but meaningful detail, a symbolic code of the maison: the white camellia. Applied on the shopper or on the satin ribbon, this flower was Coco Chanel’s favourite, which she often wore, and it has become one of the brand’s codes, entering as inspiration, decoration and motif in many collections.
PRADA
The textures of Prada’s packaging recall the iconic Saffiano leather we are used to seeing on bags. The embossed cardboard and the shopper paper thus evoke the same tactile sensation of the leather patented by Mario Prada at the beginning of the 20th century, with its characteristic crosshatch pattern, creating a continuity between the containerand the item inside.
The development of luxury brand packaging like this starts from a dialogue with the maison, and then continues with a phase of prototyping thanks to a dedicated machine, the prototyping tool, in order to define every detail and meet all the aesthetic and functional requirements.
The sustainability factor is also key: «We choose suppliers with strict control over the paper supply chain, with particular attention to reforestation of trees, always trying to design thinking about how the packaging will be reusedonce it has fulfilled its primary function», continues Pianigiani.
In successful packaging two qualities coexist: the surprise of opening, capable of creating an Instagram-moment, and durability over time, thanks to the quality of materials and construction. A well-crafted object, pleasant to capture, which does not end with the first unboxing: it is kept, reused and, over time, becomes a physical memory of the purchase – something that continues to delight every time it is taken back in hand.
