Iconic Concept Store Colette Paris Is Closing
One of the original luxury concept stores Colette Paris has today made a shock announcement that it will be closing its doors at the end of 2017. In an official statement, the brand said, “As all good things must come to an end, after 20 wonderful years, Colette should be closing its doors on Dec 20 of this year. Until our last day, nothing will change. Colette will continue to renew itself each week with exclusive collaborations and offerings, also available on our website colette.fr.”
The Rue Saint Honoré boutique was founded in 1997 by Colette Roussaux, and since then has made its mark as a leader in the now popular shopping concept of mixing luxury fashion with streetwear within the same space. It has also been at the forefront of the collaboration trend hyped in recent years, with major successes ranging from collections with Pharrell Williams and Adidas to Hermès and most recently Balenciaga. The careful and innovative curation has largely been thanks to the watchful eye of Roussaux’s daughter Sarah Andelman, who has been at the helm of the store for the majority of its lifetime. It is her eye for cutting edge new talent such as Virgil Abloh that has made industry insiders and trend followers alike keep heading back to see the latest brand mix. Speaking to Highsnobiety earlier this year, menswear brand OAMC’s Luke Meier said, “Sarah and Colette are supportive of creation, period, regardless of the provenance of the brand. That’s why when something like a ‘luxury street’ trend comes along they don’t have to change their formula. It’s been there all along.”
The announcement is a sign of the growing struggle for bricks-and-mortar retail, as millennial consumers increasingly go online. There is some hope that Colette will continue to live on in its e-commerce capacity, where revenue has increased in recent months.
colette x Mira Mikatti x KAWS – 2015
The iconic three-storey space is rumoured to be taken over by Saint Laurent in the new year, in keeping with Colette’s support and collaboration with the brand. In their statement, Colette commented, “We would be proud to have a brand with such history, with whom we have frequently collaborated, taking over our address.”
A sad day for fashion retail, but there is still time to get your hands on one of those legendary blue and white bags so be sure to make a trip.
