Gucci Opens First Stand-alone Luggage Store in Paris
Gucci is setting down its suitcases on tony Rue Saint-Honoré for its first permanent boutique dedicated to its Gucci Valigeria travel line.
Sitting opposite Moynat Only a few doors away Goyard in a space formerly occupied by Off-White, the 2,900-square-foot unit located at 229 Rue Saint-Honoré opened Tuesday.
More from WWD
“The opening of our first Gucci Valigeria boutique on Rue Saint-Honoré represents the next stage in our ongoing strategy to reinforce our leadership in the travel category,” the Italian house’s president and chief executive officer Marco Bizzarri told WWD in an email.
The house’s travel range holds a particular place in the house, as trunks, suitcases and hatboxes were the first items that founder Guccio Gucci offered after opening his store in Florence in 1921.
Bizzari explained that the concept for the travel line’s permanent locations had been inspired at once by the original Florentine store and a three-month pop-up in London coinciding with the launch of the Savoy luggage line It all began in October.
The three-month residence in London concludes at year’s end. Guccio Gucci, a luggage porter, took over The Savoy, London, to continue the tradition. He was inspired to open an artisanal luggage shop after seeing guests come in and out of London with their beautiful luggage.
“Gucci Valigeria is a powerful reminder of our Florentine roots and our timeless craft,” said Bizzarri, calling the line a “symbol of [the Gucci] legacy, reinterpreted through the ages for the travelers and modern-day explorers of every era.”
The Saint-Honoré store, in particular, was created to be “a portal into our ever-expanding world of travel and discovery,” the executive continued.
Its 2,050-square-foot area retail The space is divided over two floors. It was inspired by rail travel in the Belle-Epoque and vintage light fixtures. Window displays take cues from luggage carts, while the interior’s neutral-hued canvas surfaces and dark walnut furniture and finishes go for an impression of well-traveled opulence.
The ground floor is reminiscent of a train station. There’s a cash register that doubles as a desk, and piles upon piles of luggage decorating the space. Here you will find travel essentials like eye masks and pajamas as well as beauty products and accessories for pets. It also offers exotic-skin versions of its weekender bag and unique trunks.
Brass shelving is found on the first floor and is inspired by the old-fashioned railway racks. The ceiling, however, was inspired by the carriage’s arched roof. The cozy atmosphere is created by a loom-woven tartan carpet and plush banquette seating.
The Paris store offers the full range of Gucci’s travel Totes, backpacks, garment bags as well as hat cases and suitcases are all available. Among the styles showcased are the Gucci Savoy line, which plays with the brand’s monogram, its distinctive stripe and the double G hardware, as well as the top-handle Gucci Bauletto handbag model.
Trunks will also be available as well as its newly launched and “Off the Grid” version in regenerated Econyl nylon. It will also be the very first. retail The aluminum trolley suitcase was launched in collaboration with FPM Milano, an Italian luxury luggage manufacturer.
Sold in Gucci’s physical retail network and online, the travel category has seen a “very positive momentum,” following the early November launch of the Valigeria campaign featuring Ryan Gosling and shot by photographer Glen Luchford. This was particularly visible in the “U.S., Europe and South Asia, where travel and tourist flows have restarted strongly following the relaxation of COVID-19-related restrictions,” Bizzarri continued.
Meanwhile, vintage luggage pieces included in Gucci’s Vault Vintage drops had also generated “great excitement,” he said, attributing this to the “timelessness that is naturally associated with travel.”
Bizzarri stated that the brand will continue to expand its offering with vintage pieces as well as new functions such the newly launched aluminum trolleys.
Further Gucci Valigeria stores in “other iconic city destinations” around the world are in the works, but Bizzarri did not further detail a timeline or locations.
Travel itself is also a longstanding source of inspiration in the Gucci-verse that saw former creative director Alessandro Michele, who exited the brand in November, say that “travel had never been something purely physical” for the brand at the launch of the Gosling-fronted campaign.
“A Gucci suitcase is a magical suitcase,” Michele continued at the time, describing the creatives who had chosen items from the brand as people who “realize the importance of creativity in service of the construction of imaginary places.”