The fashion aura of Paris almost has mythical proportions, resonating with a global audience for many decades. No wonder, it’s here where many a luxury brand goes the extra yard when it comes to retail presence. Very recently, Alexander McQueen has stepped up by opening a new flagship store, its biggest on the planet to date, on prestigious rue St.-Honoré. Occupying no less than 1,555 sqm. (16,738 sq.ft.) spread across two floors of a listed 18th-century building by French architect Robert de Cotte (1656-1735), and partially, an adjacent historic building, the retail space features a collaborative interior design by Alexander McQueen‘s creative director Sarah Burton and acclaimed Chilean architect Smiljan Radić. Similar to other boutiques of the London-based fashion house, the main material used throughout the premises is wood—oak and walnut, light and dark.
The material is captured by floors and walls showing off intricately engineered, dynamic patterns. Traditional techniques are combined with innovative design, and are very much aligned with the brand’s profile within the fashion universe. There’s the decorative use of cotton-crete, a cotton-based papier mâché in the fitting rooms, which themselves are located inside large glass cylinders that pierce the interior, while also reflecting light. They’re lined in tapestries developed from prints from the ready-to-wear collections and woven by specialist artisans in Italy. Further elevating the shopping experience are lapi gris stone artworks created by the renowned Chilean sculptor Marcela Correa. These chunky objects can be found on both floors and help shoppers navigate the stunning retail space. The new Alexander McQueen flagship store carries the full range of women’s and men’s
Alexander McQueen
372-374 rue St.-Honoré
75001 Paris
Telephone: +33 1 70807800
Mon-Sat 10am-7pm
Sun 11am-7pm
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
