It was in Marghera that founders, husband and wife duo Alessandro Gallo and Francesca Rinaldo, established the brand over two decades ago. It was also in the industrial port town that Golden Goose just launched Haus of Dreamers, a sprawling 54,000-sq-ft physical and digital – or “phygital” – cultural space. It exemplifies the brand’s heritage and values: the emphasis on craftsmanship, the belief in free-flowing creativity and the idea, as embodied by its renown worn-looked trainers, that there is impeccable beauty in imperfection.

On April 19, Haus’ launch kicked off the 60th Venice Biennale – and Haus Week – with a star-studded event. It was immediately followed by two days of public workshops and performances.

Haus aims to unite creatives from various disciplines and backgrounds, according to the brand, while emphasising the Golden Goose DNA. The complex encompasses the brand’s core values of culture, craftsmanship and art through an academy, an archive, a library, an auditorium and an exhibition area called the Hangar.

The new home seeks to become, as the brand’s opening statement called it, “a global cultural platform” that serves Golden Goose’s growing global community of dreamers.

“We are providing a new home for the brand’s community of dreamers, uniting creatives of multiple disciplines and backgrounds,” said Silvio Campara, chief executive officer of Golden Goose during the opening.

At the launch, the brand welcomed dozens of VIPs, press and other celebrities, including Italian sculptor Fabio Viale, Puerto Rican singer Mia Lailani and model Romee Strijd. Luigi Brugnaro, the mayor of Venice, was also in attendance.

“We are a global collective of dreamers,” Marco Neroni, Golden Goose’s chief brand officer, told us. “We want to be as inclusive as possible. Haus is a place where we can share our passions, our roots and our vision altogether.”

Haus is the result of six long years of work – which more than paid off. Visitors will surely marvel with childlike wonder as they walk through the various spaces, which include a station for trainer customisation, sensory experiences with high digital tech, a fascinating Golden Goose archive of the brand’s previous trainers and ready-to-wear pieces with over 50,000 items, and a functional production line that presents the brand’s signature distressing method and trainers being made by handsome Golden Goose workers clad in the brand’s specially designed white uniforms.

To properly fete the occasion, Golden Goose brought together a fashionable crowd led by four artists from different disciplines. The evening kicked off with a performance by Viale, who presented his sculptures outside in the complex’s fountain in a fiery spectacle that aimed to recall the history of Venice. The academy area featured live colourful silk-screen printing with French painter Maïa Régis to showcase the connection between art and fashion, particularly drawing attention to the relationship between mass production and craftsmanship. Meanwhile, Argentinian visual artist Andrés Reisinger revealed his evocative and dreamy installations in the Hangar.

As guests mingled and visited the various areas of the Haus, Puerto Rican New York-based singer Mia Lailani mesmerised guests with a musical performance.

Of note, before guests sat down to an otherworldly candlelit dinner, was a walk through the archive, a surprising and noteworthy find with impeccably preserved items from special collaborations with artists such as Virgil Abloh on a pair of trainers, to a delicate leather elegant Venezia bag.

Part of the mission of Haus is also to inspire others, especially the younger generation, explained Neroni. In the library and office area of the founders – meticulously presented and designed featuring old and new books, artworks and other miscellaneous items of inspiration – a sort of living museum is brought to life prompting a reflection on the importance and connection between various creative disciplines and how all parts really do equal a whole.

Haus wants to encourage the next generation of dreamers. This includes young aspiring Venetian creatives and artisans from the nearby vicinity, and those from farther afield who can all come to Haus to enrol in various creative workshops.

“We want to inspire and support the next generation of dreamers here,” added Neroni. “This is a place to express and make dreams a reality.”