After almost seventeen years on rue Poitou, Lemaire has relocated its flagship store to new and bigger premises in the Marais district of Paris. The retail space occupies no less than 340 sqm. (3,660 sq.ft.) on the ground floor of an early 19th century residential building, and situated only a few blocks away from the Lemaire boutique on place de Vosges which opened almost a year ago. The store interior, entirely created by Lemaire‘s in-house design team, sees a soft colour palette of immaculate white walls and flooring of Moroccan Bejmat tiles, crafted using an old artisanal technique that’s practiced in the Moroccan city of Fez, and paired with exposed wall sections, handwoven Abacá mats, and concrete elements with a Brutalist allure.
Black metal fixtures, captured by display rails, pillars, and most notably, a rather spectacular skylight that hovers over the patio, beautifully tie in with the three expansive windows on rue Elzévir. The sophisticated aesthetic of Lemaire‘s creative directors Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran is further highlighted by a string of decorative accents, such as the carefully sourced furniture pieces by Italian modernist designer Enzo Mari. As it happens, his 1970s Autoprogettazione project promotes furniture which can easily be assembled using lumber and nails, aligns very well with the house of Lemaire‘s modular and flexible approach to clothing. Additionally, the brand’s leather goods, shoes and jewellery are presented on ceramics from Apparatu, a family-run studio from Barcelona, led by ceramicist and industrial designer Xavier Mañosa.
The brand’s focus on and connection to people and cultures from across the planet is highlighted by a rotation of art shows which will be held on the premises, starting with Noviadi Angkasapura (1979) in May. Hailing from Indonesia‘s remote Irian Jaya region, the artist created a capsule wardrobe of cotton pieces that infused motion into his pen drawings of imaginary animals and anthropomorphic creatures which intertwine spirituality and nature. The new Lemaire flagship store carries the brand’s full range of men’s and women’s apparel, accessories, bags, shoes, small leather goods and jewellery. The flagship store as an important point of reference of the brand’s roll-out of more branded retail spaces both in France and abroad.
Lemaire
1 rue Elzévir (Marais)
75003 Paris
Mon-Sat 10.30am-7.30pm
Sun 11am-7pm
Publishers Note
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