For three days in Milan, #ISeeYou turned Piazza San Babila and the Armani Exchange Milan flagship store into a live, evolving gallery of faces, stories and identities, with portraits appearing in real time across digital and in store screens. Shot by photographer Davide Mandolini, the project invited people to “be seen,” celebrating individuality and urban community at the heart of the city.
A living gallery in San Babila
From 15 to 17 May, A|X Armani Exchange set up the I See You installation in San Babila, one of Milan’s busiest crossroads. Brand posts describe it as “an open invitation to connect and be seen,” bringing together different stories, identities and vibes in a shared public space.
Throughout the activation, portraits of participants were captured and then displayed in real time across the installation and inside the Armani Exchange flagship, transforming the store and surrounding square into a constantly changing mosaic of faces.
Celebrating individuality and community
The #ISeeYou project sits within Armani Exchange’s broader narrative of urban style, youth culture and self expression. Social content describes it as a campaign that “transforms urban faces and stories into a live campaign in the heart of Milan,” blurring the line between casting, community and street photography.
By focusing on real people and their presence in the city, rather than traditional studio imagery, the activation reinforces A|X’s positioning as a brand that recognizes and reflects the diversity of its community: “Real recognizes real.”
Capturing the moment: photography by Louis De Belle
This chapter of EA City Frames, Emporio Armani enlisted photographer Louis De Belle, whose images combine architectural sensitivity with a documentary eye. His photographs of Athens and the Emporio Armani boutique are used across social media and brand channels, reinforcing the idea of the city as a series of carefully composed “frames.”
The visuals often juxtapose details of the store’s interior with glimpses of the urban environment: a reflection in glass, a fragment of a facade, a person in motion at the edge of the frame. This visual language supports Emporio Armani’s longstanding interest in capturing not only fashion, but also the atmospheres and rhythms that surround it.
Beyond aesthetics, #EACityFrames is described by the brand as a way to “celebrate its urban identity while strengthening its connection with the community.” In practical terms, this means using store reopenings and local storytelling to build a closer relationship with the people who live, work and socialise around Emporio Armani’s boutiques, rather than speaking only from a global, abstract perspective.
