With this move the Armani Group has doubled its presence in the city in the past twelve months: a year ago, a second Emporio Armani store opened in Paris at 368-370 rue Saint-Honoré, and now, Giorgio Armani strengthens its position on Avenue Montaigne, unveiling its second boutique in the city.
From January, the existing Giorgio Armani boutique at 18 Avenue Montaigne showcases menswear exclusively. Meanwhile, the new boutique, at number 2, is entirely dedicated to womenswear, and introduces a brand new design concept, an approach that has been conceived uniquely for this Parisian location.
Covering over 450 square metres on one floor, the boutique’s interior respects the heritage of the building. As this is a historical property dating from the early 1900s, characterised by a succession of connected rooms separated by exceptionally thick bearing walls, Giorgio Armani and his team of architects have conceived each area within the structure as a separate "container". Starting from the entrance on Avenue Montaigne, the customer follows a path through the accessories room to the daywear classics room up to the evening section, which faces Rue Jean Goujon. At the centre of the store, a long corridor connects the different rooms and includes an additional area dedicated to cocktail dresses.
The walls and ceilings are treated differently in each room, with panels covered in shiny satin fabric. Each room has its own colour scheme and choice of materials, creating unique environments to enhance the selection of clothing and accessories on display and emphasise their diversity. Petrol blue, silver grey, military green or golden grey walls and ceilings are complemented with a variety of natural stone floors made from either marble, onyx, granite or quartz. The furniture is all free standing and is finished according to the style of the room that houses it. It is crafted in wood with silver and chrome veining and is upholstered and finished in the same colour palette as the walls and ceiling of its room.
For the first time, a dedicated area in the boutique presents accessories from the couture collection.
Starting from the opening event, customers have already had the opportunity to order Giorgio Armani Privé custom-made bags and shoes from the new Spring/Summer 2013 collection that was presented on the same day in Paris.
Giorgio Armani said, "Avenue Montaigne is recognised as one the world’s most prestigious luxury retail destinations and is, moreover, a wonderful symbol of historical European architecture. There is an atmosphere of sophistication and elegance there which makes it the perfect location for my boutiques. With the new design concept for number 2 Avenue Montaigne, I wanted to express a modern sensibility while respecting the history and grandeur of this world renowned avenue."
Yesterday evening, January 22nd 2013, after the Giorgio Armani Privé show, a cocktail party was held in the new store to celebrate its arrival.
Giorgio Armani’s retail network in France now includes 3 Giorgio Armani boutiques, 4 Emporio Armani stores, 1 Armani Collezioni store, 1 Armani/Casa store and 1 Emporio Armani Caffè.
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