ALBINI PRASSA and the story of his times.

LEARN THE HISTORY OF A SPECTACULAR, MODERN PLACE IN WHICH, HOWEVER, TIME AS IF IT TAKES ON OTHER DIMENSIONS.

an article by Dominica Mărgescu
photo: Christian Tudose

Ion Schiau, the man behind the Albini Prassa concept, has a special reality with time. And this can be seen in the way he created Maison Albini Prassa, a place that you find hard to leave once you are there. The house on Belgrad Street in Bucharest is elegant, populated with modern objects that intertwine with traditional ones, and the displays where some of the most spectacular watches of our time are exhibited also have a special design. In addition, the stories and funny stories told by Ion Schiau make a visit to Maison Albini Prassa transport you to another time and another universe.

ELLE: Tell me what inspired you to create this concept, Maison Albini Prassa.

ION SCHIAU: Maison Albini Prassa was born from the fact that we have noticed over time that the retail world needs a transformation. The acceleration imposed by the COVID-19 crisis implies not only the online part, which we all know, but also the adaptation of physical watch retail to become a lifestyle space, where experience and rational involvement become central.

On the other hand, I was lucky enough to handle the retail development of the Hublot brand during the years when the stores opened in New York, Paris Palace Vendome and other destinations such as Tokyo, Bal Harbour, Beverly Hills, ca 24 stores in two years. And working with Peter Marino Architects, the idea was to make the living space a little more homey. So the border between the two worlds is getting finer and finer, everything is now designed to make you feel at home.

Then there were concepts that interested me, either in SOHO, where a loft had been transformed into a destination for exceptional watches, or what Audemars Piguet has been doing for a few years with AP Home, apartments in the biggest cities in the world.

ELLE: What is the story of the very special space that houses all the brands under the Albini Prassa name?

ION SCHIAU: Day by day Maison Albini Prassa welcomes a community interested in timepieces and accessories dedicated to time. Our space is a non-traditional retail space, a space created for meetings, where time passes perhaps differently.

For more than a year we have been happy to represent Bvlgari in Romania, thus, we have chosen to bring the Serpenti, Octo Finissimo and Aluminum collections. Bvlgari is one of the biggest names in the watch and jewelry industry, and in recent years they have revolutionized the way to wear a watch with an absolutely unique design.


This is a passage from the article published in Elle Magazine, August 2021, No. 285

The full article can be found here - https://magazines.ringier.ro/editie/elle-august-2021/#pagina-58