New Au Départ Boutique Opens its Doors on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré

The historic trunk brand opens a new store in Paris that blends tradition and modernity. Celebrating its legendary past, Au Départ introduces the cultural project Au Départ Art Collective, with installations that reveal the brand’s 2 new treasures.

It all started at Gare du Nord station in Paris, where the first Au Départ Paris boutique opened in 1847. A strategic location for an ultra-luxury brand of trunks and suitcases that were originally used to transport everyday objects and one's wardrobe on carriages and trains. The distinctive feature par excellence? Their monograms, born in the early 1900s, inspired by the tiles of the churches of Pompeii. Retracing the history of the brand, the names of great artists and writers also emerge, such as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of 'The Little Prince' - a loyal customer of Au Départ - or the illustrator Yan Bernard Dyl who had created the historic campaigns of the French brand.

Historic trunks in the new Au Départ store (Courtesy of Au Départ)

And in the capital of French fashion, Au Départ opens the doors of its new store in the heart of Paris, on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré to be precise. Maintaining French tradition, the boutique follows the structures of the original establishments from the end of the 19th century, which were strategically located near French cultural centers, such as the Palais Garnier. The new store is a perfect blend between the brand's past heritage and the present which can be seen with the juxtaposition of raw concrete with precious marble details with stylistic accents in brass.

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The interior spaces of the Au Départ store (Courtesy of Au Départ)

While the ground floor is dedicated to Au Départ's iconic products and the archive that perfectly represents the brand's legacy, the first floor is dedicated to the brand's new cultural project, the Au Départ Art Collective. The window display is entrusted to the creative couple Diana Kim and Scott Ponik (Stand Up Comedy duo) who play with traditional window layouts, and for the occasion they have created a perfect setting with Au Départ's vintage trunks that take on the appearance of moving, talking mollusks. When they open, they reveal the brand's new treasures: the Belleville Bag and the Tuilerie Bag.

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The window designed by the Au Départ store (Courtesy of Au Départ)

Au Départ demonstrates how art and fashion can merge to tell timeless stories. The new store in Paris not only celebrates the brand's rich heritage, but also lays the foundation for a creative vision that looks to the future. Another important step in a journey of almost two centuries of craftsmanship and lifestyle.