PARIS — Kleman is prepared for a latest era.

The French legacy work shoe brand has opened its first flagship, on the tender age of 78.

Kleman has long been the footwear provider to stalwart corporations like Air France, in addition to the French police and military. The brand is now putting down stakes in Paris’ Marais, on the favored Rue de Temps, because it seeks to expand in the style category.

“Our objective of the shop is to speak the brand and the Kleman story,” said head of sales Alexandre Cléon, grandson of the founder and one in every of two brothers on the helm. “We’re an 80-year-old company and we’re used to working with distributors and stockists, but that is our first experience in retail.”

“It was necessary to start out with Paris because we’re a ‘Made in France’ brand, even when we export about 50 percent of our production,” said Alex. The tony spot on the favored street “corresponds to the identity of our customer,” he added.

The brand was originally launched in 1945 by René Cléon within the north of France. Long a utilitarian shoe, Kleman pivoted to fashion due to the brand’s surprise popularity in Japan.

The brothers remain mum on the name, however the story goes that their Japanese distributor stumbled upon a pair of Kleman shoes in a vintage store in Paris, and moved to import the brand to Japan. It was successful, and the shoes are actually sold in United Arrows and other retailers.

“That is when the brand began to enter the style world,” said creative director Mathieu Cléon, the eldest of the duo, dating that shift to about 13 years ago. 4 years ago they launched a fashion-oriented collection based on the brand’s codes, including sandals and more styles for girls.

The style collection relies on Kleman classic models but reimagined in latest textures and materials, with a latest sole and extra details on the uppers to present the shoes a more modern feel. The style collection is targeting a young consumer aged between 20 and 40 with its handmade craftsmanship story, at a up to date price point.

The normal styles, comparable to those made for Air France, are still produced in parallel.

The flagship sits amid other utilitarian contemporary brands, including Carhartt and Pyrenex, and sporty brands like Quiksilver. It’s also just across from popular cookie company Crème London, which sees customers wait for his or her treats. “That is an incredible opportunity for us,” joked Alex of the captive audience. “There’s a line down the road on daily basis and it may herald numerous street traffic.”

After Paris, the corporate will look to open shops in additional cities throughout the country.

Kleman can also be developing additional small leather goods produced from offcuts, in addition to accessories comparable to socks and beanies to be sold within the shop.

The shop is designed to be 80 percent Kleman products and can devote 20 percent of its retail space to other brands, particularly in denim and outerwear, to position itself as an idea shop. The corporate, which has collaborated with Agnes B. prior to now, also goals to create collaborations with clothing brands that will likely be featured in the shop.

It’s still a family-owned business, with the 2 brothers on the helm and cousins Emmanuelle and Stéphanie Cléon filling other executive offices. The corporate has 80 employees in total, with about half within the factory in La Romagne. Father Jacques is technically retired, but continues to be energetic.

“How it really works with a family business is, sometimes it’s difficult for the older generation to depart. For instance, our dad, he was the CEO and two years ago he must have retired, but he’s still at the corporate more often than not,” said Mathieu of the close-knit company culture.

The Marais flagship was designed by Studio AMV architects in Paris, the trio behind Stella Luna stores worldwide and the Balmain flagships in Recent York. It boasts exposed stone partitions and patched partitions, for an unfinished, industrial feel. It’s meant to evoke the look of a factory or workshop to spotlight the brand’s hand craftsmanship.

Kleman currently exports 50 percent of its product to 17 countries, with its primary market being Japan. France is second, while large portions also go to the U.K. and Canada. While they can be found in some stockists within the U.S., they’re continuing to research opportunities there.

China and Hong Kong are the predominant focus of their expansion plans inside the subsequent two years. Added Alex: “We hope that those will likely be the subsequent predominant markets.”