Carven's new energy embodied in revamped store concept

By

Anaïs Lerévérend

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Jan 8, 2018

At the Paris Fashion Week last September, Serge Ruffieux's first show for Carven, featuring the Spring/Summer 2018 collection, was highly praised by critics. The Parisian fashion label is now ready to make the collection available to the general public, channelling its fresh creative energy and marking the start of a new era, after unveiling a revamped retail concept at the end of last year for its rue de Grenelle flagship store in Paris.

The label's new creative zest, hankered after by Chinese group Bluebell, Carven’s majority shareholder since summer 2016, is now embodied in a fresh retail concept, mirroring the design maturity acquired by Carven under Serge Ruffieux. After terminating the men's line, the label is focusing on womenswear only, targeting chiefly women aged 25 to 45, as its CEO Sophie de Rougemont told FashionNetwork, and has now adapted its retail concept accordingly.

The new-look interiors have been unveiled at the store in 13 rue de Grenelle, Paris, and feature an aesthetic that is both arty and warm. The inspiration comes from the rough wood boxes used to transport artworks. Wood panelling is ubiquitous, encompassing Serge Ruffieux's ready-to-wear and accessories collections, while mannequins looking more like a sculptor's rough draft populate the window displays.

The new interior design also introduces the idea of accessing the inspiration behind the label's creativity, with an immersive mood similar to that of a fashion house's archive room.

The new retail concept and the Resort line 2018 are only the start of the journey for Serge Ruffieux's collections: the new concept will also be featured in a series of itinerant pop-up stores in the forthcoming weeks. Carven's new retail look will in fact make an appearance at Parisian department store Le Bon Marché from 14th February to 14th March, then at Isetan in Tokyo (21st-27th March) and finally at Bergdorf Goodman in New York (19th-30th March).

The label is positioned in the accessible luxury segment and currently operates three womenswear boutiques in Paris, one in Cannes, one in London, five in Asia, a series of permanent retail corners in Parisian department stores and also two outlet stores.