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Cassidy STEPHENS
Published
Oct 31, 2022
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The Kooples inaugurates its flagship on the Champs Elysées

Translated by
Cassidy STEPHENS
Published
Oct 31, 2022

Moving into no less than 300 square-meters on the Champs Elysées, this flagship is more than just a store. The Kooples is gaining a commercial space as well as a communication tool.


The Kooples store on the Champs Elysées - Benoït Florençon/The Kooples


The French brand, which has been part of the MF Brands group since 2021, has taken over the space previously occupied by Lacoste, a major brand of the Swiss group, at number 93 of the most touristic shopping avenue in Paris. While Lacoste now has a huge store on the other side of the avenue, number 93 has been completely revamped.

Grey concrete floors, rough walls, metal sheets and neon lights on the ceilings, as well as black furniture and steel racks: the brand has created an ultra-urban atmosphere.


Bare walls with mirrors and polished ciment - Benoït Florençon/The Kooples


"For us it's a first to open a store of this size, so it's necessarily a different concept," explains Marie Schott, the brand's general manager. "It's a challenge, but we wanted a strong image that expresses the repositioning of the brand that we started last year. We opted for bare walls and a raw design. The huge mirrors are a break from the rest and bring our premium approach. What is encouraging is that customers have already shown interest in our accessories offer, which we have been working on a lot in recent months".

A positioning that demonstrates the artistic side of the brand, that operates its store to highlight the artists valued in its partnership with the MacVal Museum.


The events area of the store, decorated with leopard print - Benoït Florençon/The Kooples


The result is a truly atypical store for the Champs Elysées, with two distinct entrances. The first is an event space created to present part of the collection or a collaboration. For the opening, the space is decorated with a leopard print and a huge wall screen broadcasting a video clip for the occassion. For the end of year celebrations, the 40 square-meters space will present a selection of accessories.

The second entrance features a window displaying for the moment Gaby Sahar's art installation. This entrance gives access to the ground floor, where a selection of mainly in black and white pieces are presented, most of them featuring the brand's logo. A large concrete staircase with black railing leads to the first floor where the men's line on the right and the women's line on the left are displayed on large racks. The accessories have a dedicated alcove where solid steel shelves and black displays showcase the label's latest bag models.


A space dedicated to accessories - Benoït Florençon/The Kooples


 "We wanted to break the codes a little with few worn silhouettes or one size garments on these large racks. This implies a lot of support from our sales team, which has been trained to use tablets to accompany and take paiements from customers," says the director.

The brand is testing innovations in its new store and has specially recruited Raphaeël Grillat as the new store manager. The latter is a specialist in inaugurations and has notably accompanied the establishment of Citadium on the Champs Elysées or Kith in Paris.

The brand, which for its opening is offering 200 limited edition T-shirts, has other ambitions beyond the commercial aspect of this new flagship. The Kooples, which still does most of its business in France, via its stores and department store corners, will also strengthen its image among international customers. A few days ago the label also opened a 200 square-meter store in the very conceptual Battersea Station shopping center in London.

 

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