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1 Jul

Dries Van Noten Blends Beauty, Accessories in Latest Paris Boutique

PARIS — Dries Van Noten’s newest retail concept here showcases a Seventeenth-century tapestry by Dutch architect and artist Hans Vredeman de Vries, whose work on perspective was revolutionary for its time.

The designer is pioneering latest perspectives on merchandising within the 650-square-foot corner unit, which can showcase beauty alongside leather goods, jewelry and other accessories from his fashion collection.

The boutique opened to the general public Saturday, further demonstrating how closely Van Noten’s fragrances and lipsticks, introduced about one yr ago, commune seamlessly together with his other designs.

As well as, there might be pouches for perfumes exclusive to the shop, together with combs, a mirror and a lip brush. From his essential fashion collection might be handbags, small leather goods, jewelry, scarves and another small accessories.

A Seventeenth-century tapestry adds visual verve to a display of purses.

Jean-Pierre Gabriel

“It’s essential to point out that every thing is sharing the identical vision,” Van Noten said in an interview. “We don’t see the makeup and perfume as separate from the garments. For me, it’s like one big, unified project, and I actually desired to underline that.”

He noted that the shop, while small, is loosely divided into zones for every product category. “But after all, we have now quite a whole lot of display cases where we show how every thing is finished in the identical spirit,” he noted.

The brand new store, at No. 9 Quai Malaquais, sits round the corner to Van Noten’s men’s boutique, which opened in 2009. His flagship Paris women’s boutique, which opened in 2007, is a lipstick’s throw away at No. 7 on the identical street, with only a café and narrow Rue Bonaparte in between.

“It’s so perfectly situated. And the situation can also be very visible. Even once you pass by automobile, you possibly can’t miss it,” the designer enthused.

Van Noten noted the three retail addresses will share similar facades, and a few design elements, but separate entrances. “I just like the proven fact that you’ve gotten to go outside to enter different stores. It’s like a unique universe, different but still the identical,” he said.

Perfumes, beauty-related accessories and fashion items share shelf space.

Jean-Pierre Gabriel

The constructing for the brand new beauty and accessories unit, dating back to 1625 and often called the Hôtel de Transylvanie, has a singular history that appealed to Van Noten. It previously housed an art center often called Galerie Bréheret, founded in 1887 and operating on the Quai Malaquais since 1929, displaying works by the likes of Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall.

“It’s really a singular opportunity,” Van Noten said. “And it looks like an exercise because from next yr on we plan to open more stores in the identical concept where we are going to mix accessories and wonder.”

He declined to say what number of beauty/accessories units might open, noting that’s depending on space opportunities. The Quai Malaquais unit brings to 11 the variety of freestanding Dries Van Noten stores on the earth.

With its diminutive scale, and opulent materials, the boutique was conceived as a “bijoux,” or jewel, based on the designer.

“I hope the entire atmosphere of the shop goes to feel very special,” he said, mentioning the presence of alabaster, Calacatta marble, velvet and a chandelier composed of various sorts of Venini glass.

Materials in the shop include Calacatta marble, alabaster and velvet.

Jean-Pierre Gabriel

He noted a number of the materials and classic French moldings wink to Paris perfume stores from the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s.

“We’re in the midst of all of the antique dealers and the art galleries, so we anted to create an environment which inserts also within the neighborhood,” he explained.

Van Noten was a pioneer in planting his boutique down the block from the Beaux-Arts school in a district more recognized for antiques and art than fashion.

“It’s also quite a private experience,” he explained over Zoom from his Antwerp headquarters. “It’s type of a little bit salon… Despite the fact that it’s a small space, we actually wanted to provide people a special and unique experience.”

Is he forging a latest retail concept in combining fragrance and accessories? “I don’t know if we’re charting something latest, but we do it in our own way,” said Van Noten, noting that he transposed some elements from his Los Angeles flagship on La Cienega Boulevard, which opened in 2020 and made headlines with its rotating exhibition spaces, music room, tropical garden — and a re-commerce section.

To wit: the designer noted some archival items, including accessories from his 2020 collaboration with Christian Lacroix, are likely to seek out their way into the brand new beauty and fragrance store. A blackened room is devoted to those objects.

Jewelry, scarves and other fashion items are displayed in dark cabinets.

Jean-Pierre Gabriel

“Also in that store, we plan to sometimes do exhibitions of, say a jewel designer we like, or an artist we will invite to point out works and things like that,” he explained. “In fact, the L.A. store is 800 square meters, and this one is 60. So it needs to be small art.”

The designer described a robust consumer response to his launch into beauty.

“In fact you confer with a whole lot of different individuals with perfume and likewise with the wonder,” he said. “As an example, the lipstick offers a really nice entry price so that you see a whole lot of young people also going to come back to the stores, and possibly those persons are going to be our future [fashion] clients,” he said.

The designer hinted at more scents coming on stream in 2024, and further expansion of the wonder offer. “It’s really a really exciting project for me,” he enthused.

Perfumes will still be represented in his other Quai Malaquais stores, with one called Quai Malaquais amongst the most well-liked, especially with women, while many men have embraced rose-based scents. “I believe that’s improbable,” he said.

Van Noten, who founded his business in 1985, has been showing his women’s collection in Paris since 1993. He sold a majority stake to Spanish fragrance and wonder group Puig in 2018, setting the stage for a foray into fragrance.

For the record, the designer wears his Cannabis Patchouli scent.

Lipsticks and perfume pouches are displayed adjoining.

Jean-Pierre Gabriel

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