PARIS — While collaborations are still having a retail and cultural moment, Parisian concept store Merci has gone one step further in partnership with French outdoor specialist Au Vieux Campeur.
“This is not a collaboration,” said Merci chief executive officer Arthur Gerbi. Instead, the initiative is the incubation of a stand-alone brand rooted in nearly 80 years of retail history, that will first be integrated into Merci’s three locations, before opening in a stand-alone space this spring. The new brand will also be available at wholesale to other retailers and department stores.
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The project reimagines what Au Vieux Campeur, founded in 1946 and long regarded as a destination for technical outdoor hiking and camping gear, might look like if it were launched today as a contemporary label.
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The collection was developed over the past eight months alongside Aymeric de Rorthays, CEO and grandson of the founder of the family-owned company.
The line draws directly from the retailer’s extensive archival print catalogues, which span decades of sports, typography and images.
“These catalogues are a time capsule,” Gerbi said. “They show not just products, but how people were spoken to in different eras. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build something based on that history.”
The result is a collection that translates outdoor references into pieces for the city dweller but deliberately stopping short of performance wear. Materials include wool, leather and canvas, rather than Gore-Tex or synthetics. “We are not an outdoor brand to climb Mont Blanc, and we never will be,” he said. “It has to be balanced.”
That restraint is central to the brand’s appeal, particularly among younger consumers that appreciate the hint of retro. Internally, the collection quickly gained momentum with younger staff, who responded to what the Gerbi described as the “purity” of Au Vieux Campeur’s identity as a retailer where customers arrive with purpose and leave with exactly what they came for.
“The idea of bringing to life a story that has been so OG,” Gerbi said. “The whole story behind this company is that they were the first promoting outdoor gear in the world.”
That heritage resonates with the authenticity consumers are longing for right now, he added.
“When you go into the store, it’s like pure sugar. To have a reflection on what should be a cool way of bringing outdoor to urban lifestyle, that’s really what drove the team crazy.”
The collection will officially launch at Merci on Saturday, accompanied by a physical installation inspired by mountains and outdoor landscapes.
Merci has taken over the former Ami Paris space next door to its Boulevard Beaumarchais flagship. The Au Vieux Campeur collection will be housed here, emphasizing Gerbi’s intention to establish it as a stand-alone brand. It’s currently under construction and set to open in March.
Gerbi reports strong holiday season sales at Merci, and credited the multibrand stores’ small, selective and curated approach for insulating it from retail’s current woes. Merci’s second location on Rue de Richelieu has benefited from tourists’ shifting preferences toward local and unique retail experiences in a culturally diverse neighborhood, he said.
“People don’t want to see the same stores in every city,” he said. “They want small places, specific places — things that only exist here.”
Looking ahead, the company is exploring international expansion for both Merci and the Au Vieux Campeur brand. London is most likely to be its first opening of Merci outside of Paris in 2027. New York is in the mix as well.
Au Vieux Campeur is positioned as a lifestyle brand rather than a pure fashion label, encompassing clothing, objects and everyday items such as matches.
For Gerbi, the initiative reflects Merci’s broader ambition to move beyond retail as a point of sale and grow as a platform for brand creation. “We see ourselves as a launch pad,” he said. “Not for products, but for ideas that deserve time.”