Fauré Le Page opens a new 500-square-metre flagship store on Rue Saint-Honoré

Just a stone’s throw from Place Vendôme, Parisian leather-goods house Fauré Le Page marks a strategic milestone in its expansion. To usher in the new season, the trunk-maker and leather-goods house unveils its new Paris flagship, Maison Saint-Honoré, at 352 rue Saint-Honoré, in the heart of Paris’s 1st arrondissement.

Seventeen years on from its 2009 revival at 21 rue Cambon, the brand is expanding its global distribution network, which now comprises twelve locations across France, Asia and the Middle East. Conceived as ‘a home for the house,’ this nearly 500-square-metre space occupies a private mansion built in 1708.

A project at the crossroads of the arts

To steer this transformation, the brand enlisted French architect Jean de Gastines, who has designed all Fauré Le Page boutiques worldwide. The premises have been restored in keeping with 18th-century classical French architecture, highlighting Versailles parquet, mouldings and period fireplaces. The project also brought together several master artisans, including metalworker Romain Barré, creator of a monumental sculpture and the balustrade of the Grand Staircase, and decorative painters Dominique and Noé Bouillon, who created a fresco inspired by the Normandy bocage, as well as an ethereal ceiling entitled ‘nuage de poudre.’

Spanning three levels, the boutique offers a gradual immersion into the house’s world. On arrival, the Vestibule presents Fauré Le Page’s icon, the Daily Battle tote. On the mezzanine, the Salle des Archives links the brand’s 300 year-old heritage with its contemporary creations. The first floor is arranged as a suite of adjoining salons: the Salon de Diane presents the women’s range, while the Salon des Quatre Saisons brings together the men’s, travel and business collections. More intimate, a VIP lounge conceived as a library features period volumes celebrating the house’s presence in the writings of Balzac, Dumas, Musset, and Chateaubriand.

A landmark opening

The flagship also serves as a showcase for the brand’s technical savoir-faire, starting with its signature Toile Écailles. This supple yet robust canvas is screen-printed by hand in Annecy in four stages, using the traditional Lyonnais frame-printing method. Under the creative direction of Augustin de Buffévent, the space further affirms its cultural vocation by integrating bespoke contemporary artworks, including Agnès Soustiel’s animal-themed ceramics, Henriette Jansen’s floral sculptures and works by Arnaud Calvé.

Founded in the 18th century as gunsmith to the French monarchs and reinvented in 2009 as a luxury leather-goods house, Fauré Le Page, with this opening, further consolidates its position in the realm of status-driven, narrative luxury.