Azzedine Alaïa WIll Open Its First Store Since 1992 In Paris, At a "Those-Who-Know Address"

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

If you just so happen to be a big-name Paris fashion brand who hasn't had a store open since 1992, how would you choose to open it? With a bang? Or instead, would you nestle it Paris and keep the address far from the ears of plebeians? The Financial Times reports that Azzedine Alaïa has picked the latter option. This spring, it'll open its first store in two decades on Rue de Marignan off Avenue Montaigne, which will triple as a showroom and office space.

And despite encompassing five floors, "there are no plans to do big vitrines of clothes and bags, but to keep it a those-who-know address, albeit in the middle of all the action." Given that the world now knows the cross streets, it's not exactly a secret anymore, per se, but we're guessing the staff will specialize in mean mugging to keep things exclusive.
· Azzedine Alaia invades Avenue Montaigne [Financial Times]