CHRISTOPHE LEMAIRE, POITOU STREET STORE

While pursuing his role as Lacoste Artistic Director, Christophe Lemaire launched his own brand name in 2007.

He created his first collection in cooperation with Japanese company Avant Co together with the opening of his first store in Paris in the Marais district designed by FAA. This was the first project designed by our Office in Paris, in 2006.

The project idea was to avoid using the archetypes of store design such as the big counter and the white lighting, by creating an apartment atmosphere to provide the clientele with an intimate, personalised and almost domestic setting. The corner facade of this former chemist’s shop is completely repainted in black, including the brand’s clover sign, to bypass administrative regulations and save time.

Inside, in a space covering over 100 square metre (1,070 square feet) the collections are presented in three rooms, each with its own theme and each devoid of any commercial elements.

This store is the most logical choice as a destination since Christophe Lemaire advocates for the commercial character of fashion – a piece of clothing is meant to be worn and not to be limited to a fashion show. Rugs, potted plants, cushions and bits of furniture picked up from the flea market lie alongside high-tech elements and musical instruments, under a diamond-pointed brass ceiling designed, like a number of specific furniture elements, in collaboration with the designer Robert Carr. These are positioned alongside an elegant foldable writing desk that replaces the cash desk while transactions take place calmly on a leather Chesterfield sofa. The entire Lemaire universe is present here in this atmosphere of eclectic chic and the “jaded luxury” so important to the designer. Christophe Lemaire wanted his store to be a place more personal than conventional.