La Rinascente, a department store chain headquartered in Milan, has a long and storied history. The descendent of Aux Villes d’Italie—perhaps the first department store in Italy—the business brought modern shopping into the country. Instead of tailors, shoppers could now see garments on display, turning consumption into the sensory experience we know today.

After the original store closed in the midst of the First World War, it was reborn as “La Rinascente”, or “She who is born again.” The name was coined by Gabriele d’Annunzio, the revered Italian poet-turned-war hero whose ideas helped influence Italian fascism. The name took on additional significance after the original building burned to the ground on Christmas 1918.

Now, the department store, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, will be commemorate by an exhibition designed by OMA/AMO. Designed as a series of unfolding sequences, intended to echo the logic of a department store, the exhibition will outline the history of La Rinascente and its role in Italian cultural history. “OMA/AMO has envisioned the exhibition as a living archive that invites the visitor to discover a sequence of wonders,” states a press release.