Zadig & Voltaire, the French contemporary label, is expanding its presence in North America with a store that opened last week in Scottsdale and a renovated unit opening in the Miami Design District in May. That brings the total number of stand-alone North American stores to 29, with 24 in the U.S., according to Kristen Sosa, chief executive officer of Zadig & Voltaire North America.
In securing new locations, Sosa said it’s not about large numbers or fast growth. “It’s really about being focused on strategic locations, where our customers are and making sure that we’re strategically located in high-quality areas, centers and street locations that really enhance our brand visibility and our image. Our customers cross over generations. We have a very strong Gen Z consumer and we have a very strong Gen X consumer. And they’re coming in together,” said Sosa, who joined the firm two years ago.
You May Also Like
Related Articles
According to Sosa, the Gen Z customer likes the brand’s leather goods, jerseys, faux furs and trend-driven styles, while the Gex X consumer gravitates to their work wear, leathers, cashmeres, and more elevated fabrics.
In addition, Sosa said Zadig & Voltaire does well with tourists from Europe, Mexico and South America. When they analyze locations, they hope to hit a good mix of local customers and tourists.
“It’s also about omnichannel,” Sosa added. “We also want to go into locations where we can have a strong digital, communications and social media strategy to help us make those stores successful.”
In general, the Zadig & Voltaire stores range between 1,800 and 2,000 square feet. She said the stores have a consistent design strategy, and they aim to have “a clean store environment that represents our French heritage but also allows us to show off the clothing.”
“It tends to be a big cleaner in terms of design because our clothes really stand for themselves,” she said. “Part of our brand’s DNA is rock-inspired and art-inspired; you will often find pieces of art when you go through our stores.”
The new Scottsdale store is 1,800 square feet. The flagships on Madison Avenue and Broome Street in New York and the Miami Design District are bigger. She noted that the Scottsdale-Phoenix area has been growing and continues to grow.
“That Fashion Square location is a shopping mecca. It has great brands and amazing restaurants and is upscale and lots of luxury. It has the right customer. It met all the criteria of what we’re looking for,” she said. The store is located near such retailers as Sandro, Maje, Hermes, Tiffany & Co., Boss, Coach and Blue Nile.
Since last week’s opening, the Scottsdale store has been doing well across the board, particularly the leathers. The store had an artist come in and make one-of-a kind totes.
Going forward, Sosa said the company is interested in opening more stores in Texas, Florida and California, as well as Atlanta and Chicago. “There are some interesting projects that are happening in Dallas right now that we have our eye on,” she said.
While direct-to-consumer is the majority of the business, Zadig & Voltaire wholesales its collection at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom, in addition to operating concessions at Bloomingdale’s. They also have a strong A-level specialty store business.
At the stores, bestsellers in ready-to-wear have been their cashmeres and leathers, along with faux fur and items with special details such as rhinestones. Their Rock franchise is also doing well. They have expanded their small leather goods, and they are doing well with wallets, key chains and charms, a hot category right now, she said. They have also expanded their jewelry business.
Ready-to-wear retails from $300 for T-shirts, sweatshirts and sweatpants, up to $700 to $800 for leathers and cashmeres. Handbags average around $400 to $500. Everything is made in-house. The company recently launched a fragrance and has a collaboration with EgonLab for handbags for the runway, which will be on the selling floors in August. A cashmere brand which Zadig & Voltaire owns, Pellat-Finet, will be in a handful of Zadig & Voltaire stores this spring, including Aspen and East Hampton, N.Y.
Another area of growth for Zadig & Voltaire is Mexico. The brand opened its first store in Artz in Mexico City in November 2023, followed by a second boutique last year in Guadalajara. The brand plans a third store in Los Cabos in September, and a second Mexico City location (Antara) in 2026. It is looking to open three more stores for a total of seven. “We’re doing really well there. We’re looking to launch e-commerce in the next couple of months. That expansion is a big part of our growth,” said Sosa.