Vionnet’s Paris Flagship Opening Brings Out the Chic Crowd

by Paige Reddinger

Vionnet opened the doors of its brand new Paris flagship this week on 31, rue François 1er and it was a packed house. So many people came out to celebrate the opening, it was hard to move both upstairs and downstairs in the 820 square feet space. The space features a digital archive, techy elements like golden clothing racks that can move up and down from the ceiling, Greek columns and dresses that were two stories long in the entrance.

“Even though the store pays tribute to the brand, everything is very modern,” said Vionnet’s owner and creative director Goga Ashkenazi amid a throng of guests coming to greet her. “The fixtures for example can move around and the floor is even patterns of Vionnet dresses, even the staircase is a Vionnet pattern. Everything is referential.”

Italian architect Renato Montagner along with Ashkenazi, designed the space. “He’s a very, very modern architect,” Ashkenazi told The Daily. “If you look at other works of his, it’s completely different, but we’ve worked very hard to preserve the heritage of the brand.” Ashkenazi said she met Montagner through a friend and that he really immersed himself in studying the Vionnet DNA. “He became obsessed with the brand, almost as I am,” said Ashkenazi. “He’s the only person, who has brought me books I’ve never even seen about Vionnet, and trust me I studied properly before taking on this company. Together we worked on the digital archive and every mention of Vionnet he would get so excited and say, ‘Goga! I found something else!’ about any little detail.

Inside the space hung Vionnet’s elegant dresses along with sumptuous furs and cool geometric necklaces encased in glass. Guests like Jessica Hart and Sienna Miller came to celebrate with Ashkenazi and the duo also made their way over to L’Avenue after the store opening for an intimate dinner. Both seemed to be living the night up, preferring to hang out with Ashkenazi and declining interviews. Miller, however, did seem down to earth and a load of fun. Ashkenazi told us she was pleased with her show reviews and how the night went, but would be getting off to London to see her children as soon as everything was over. As she put it, “There was so much thought put into everything. It’s been quite a voyage!”

Leave a Comment