MAYFAIR SPACE: Balmain plans to open its first London flagship on South Audley Street in Mayfair, a rapidly expanding thoroughfare around the corner from Mount Street. The 2,000-square-foot store will open early next year, and will be designed by Joseph Dirand, the architect who oversaw the transformation of the house’s Paris flagship in 2009. The store’s exterior is made of stone, while the front window and glass entryway are framed in black lacquer and gold leaf.
“The concept behind the design for Balmain’s original address was to create a uniquely elegant space—a Parisian townhouse—where the house founder, Pierre Balmain, would have been very much at home,” said Dirand. “This London flagship translates that French refinement into an English vocabulary. I like to think of this new address as the founder’s second home, Pierre Balmain’s London pied-a-terre.”
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The doors, ceilings, mirrors and large stone fireplace are all inspired by Queen Anne Revival – a common style in the Mayfair neighborhood – while the stone floor’s geometric design is a contemporary play on traditional English parquet patterns, the company said. Dirand has also created pieces inspired by the house founder’s favorite mid-century French furniture designers, André Arbus and Jean Royère. “If Pierre Balmain had moved to London, he would have brought the furniture he loved along with him.” The sleek antique brass and polished stainless steel fixtures are similar to those that Dirand designed for the Paris flagship.
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Emmanuel Diemoz, Balmain’s chief executive officer, said London has always been an important market for the brand: “Balmain has a particularly strong and loyal clientele in the English capital, and we’re very happy to be able to offer them this first London flagship.”
The Balmain story, however, isn’t all bricks and mortar. The brand has also re-launched its web site, Balmain.com, with an expended e-commerce platform including desktop, tablet and mobile functions. The site was created by the London-based agency Meri Media under the guidance of Balmain’s creative director Olivier Rousteing.
The idea was for the site to be a “personal invitation” for customers, and it was built around the concept of an immersive cinema experience. Video is fully incorporated into the site and ranges from live catwalk streams to an ongoing series of product films. The new site launches with a series of short clips entitled “Enroll #BalmainArmy,” that showcase key products from the fall/winter 2014 women’s wear and men’s wear collections, which are currently available on the e-shop.