IBIZA BESTIES: Seeking to channel the bourgeois bohemian lifestyle of Ibiza at its hippy heyday, Loewe has set up a sprawling pop-up store in Le Bon Marché, the latest installment of the luxury label’s partnership with the island institution, Paula’s.
Set to run through June 22, Loewe’s space takes over nearly 2,500 square feet of the Paris Left Bank department store, filled with colorful prints, basket tote bags, an ice cream bar and cactus plants of all shapes and sizes.
“I hope the experience will be as much fun for clients as it was for the teams who set it up,” said Pascale Lepoivre, chief executive officer of the Spanish label, which, along with the store, is owned by French luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
As consumers stay glued to their phones for fashion inspiration and purchases, brands and retailers have had to get more creative to draw people into stores, transforming boutiques with an elaborate, lifestyle approach, often involving food and activities.
Lepoivre, in an e-mailed statement, added that the brand’s collection, its third with Paula’s, was expanded compared to previous ones, with men’s and women’s summer clothing and accessories. Declaring herself a fan of Le Bon Marché and a “happy serial shopper” herself, Lepoivre lauded the store’s expertise in “vibrant experiential pop-ups.”
Paula’s, which was founded by Armin Heinemann and Stuart Rudnick, hails from the Seventies. It was based in Ibiza’s historic quarters, selling dresses and blouses, and holding court among the island’s eclectic mix of artists, international disco stars and locals for nearly three decades.
Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson, who knew the store from childhood trips to the Mediterranean island, forged the label’s partnership with Paula’s in 2017, drawing on original prints and styles from Heinemann’s archives. Last summer, the Spanish luxury label sold beachwear including fringed shorts, sundresses and terry cloth hoodies from its Paula’s collection at a temporary store in Ibiza’s Museum of Contemporary Art.
Heinemann and Rudnick will be on hand for events at Le Bon Marché related to the Loewe installation.