Beauty Brands Light Up Milan for Holiday Season

MILAN — Beauty brands are giving fashion labels a run for their money in securing prime visibility during the holiday season here.

Dior Parfums is one of a pool of beauty companies that are going to decorate the town and enrich the festive shopping season with special activations.

In particular, the French brand will sponsor the Christmas tree placed at the center of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the famed shopping arcade that links Piazza del Duomo with the Teatro alla Scala theater, succeeding the likes of Gucci and Swarovski from past years.

To be officially unveiled with a lighting ceremony on Dec. 4 in the presence of city officials and brand representatives, Dior Parfums’ 14-meter-high tree will draw inspiration from the opulence of the Palace of Versailles and be covered with more than 1,900 decorations. These promise to include nods to key fragrances of the house including the Miss Dior, Sauvage and J’Adore scents, as well as golden flowers. The tree’s base will be trimmed with ribbon labeled Dior Parfums while a star — the founder’s symbol of luck — will be placed on top. 

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The company will also cover the arcade’s ceiling with a chain of lights, surrounding the existing municipal coat of arms that stands at the center of the dome. Both installations will run through Jan. 6.

The Versailles-inspired theme will also be seen in another activation the brand will launch a few steps from the location, in partnership with the Rinascente department store. Dubbed “Dior Ball of Dream,” the project will see Dior Parfums adorn the retailer’s facade, its arcade and windows overlooking the Duomo cathedral with a light display designed by Italian artist Pietro Ruffo. It will represent the aforementioned perfume franchises as well as an exclusive La Collection Privée.

A pop-up installed at the store’s basement floor dedicated to design will carry the brand’s fragrances and makeup products, and will offer a range of services available by appointment, such as fragrance consultations. Customized gift wrapping and cards personalized by a calligrapher will be also offered to shoppers.

The activation at Rinascente Milano will launch with an opening event on Dec. 3, when the facade will be lit up and both windows and pop-up will be unveiled, to be followed by a party. The project will run through Jan. 13.

Dior Parfums’ sponsorship of Milan’s Christmas tree is part of an expansive project aimed at promoting beauty and enhancing semi-peripheral areas of the city with eight additional Christmas trees in different districts. At the end of the holiday season, the company will recover, reuse or recycle all elements involved into the Christmas installations and has pledged to revamp the fountain of the central Piazza Fontana square, with renovation works planned to start in spring 2025.

On Tuesday, Milan’s municipality said there will be 27 Christmas trees distributed throughout different neighborhoods along with 14 light installations. The overall value of these initiatives is estimated to be around 5.6 million euros, entirely covered by sponsors. 

These include other beauty players, too. Sephora will adorn a 400-meter-long path with Christmas balls and lights, starting from its flagship in Corso Vittorio Emanuele and leading to the central Piazza San Babila, where it will also plant a 13-meter-high Christmas tree. 

There, until Christmas Eve visitors will be offered the chance to win branded Christmas decorations and take part in a contest to win a Sephora gift box. A pop-up store to customize gifts and a photo booth will be also offered at the location.

Italy’s buzzy beauty brand Veralab, which earlier this year secured an investment from Peninsula Capital, will stage a Christmas Village in the area of Piazza Sempione instead. An ice skating rink, an interactive Christmas tree replete with a selfie station and a Veralab chalet carrying exclusive products and gift kits from the brand will be among the main attractions of the destination, which will open on Dec. 9.

Other brands placing Christmas trees around the city range from Emporio Armani and Victoria’s Secret to Lego and food company Motta. Yet the most visible one will be the 27.5-meter-high Christmas tree that will stand opposite the Duomo cathedral, which will be sponsored by the foundation behind the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games and will be officially unveiled with a lighting ceremony on Dec. 6.