Maison Diptyque Stores Debut in Paris, London
The new Maison Diptyque expansive stores will heighten the experiential side of the fragrance-maker with tie-ups with arts, workshops and personalized services.
MILAN — Diptyque is unveiling a new immersive retail concept, dubbed Maison Diptyque, meant to honor the brand's roots. The first two locations debuting the format are located on Rue Duphot on Paris' Right Bank and in London's New Bond Street and slated to open Friday and May 8, respectively.
These will be Diptyque's most expansive units at more than 4,000 square feet, and aim to showcase different areas under one roof to highlight the experiential side of the fragrance-maker. Art projects, cultural events, workshops, as well as corners dedicated to product discovery and customization, are central to the new format, which is part of the brand's premiumization strategy, hinged on a closer relationship with clients and more personalized services.
“The inauguration of Maisons Diptyque marks a new stage in the influence of our brand in France and internationally. We imagined these new stores as immersive destinations celebrating the art of living à la Diptyque,” said the brand's chief executive officer Fabienne Mauny. “In an increasingly digital world, our spaces stand out by offering exclusive, sensorial and intimate experiences, far from standardization.
They illustrate our attachment to knowhow, whether it is ours in the creation of perfumes or that of the artisans and artists who participate in our universe.”
Diptyque's senior vice president Laurence Semichon underscored how the approach links back to the roots of the brand, which began as stylish shop on Parisian Boulevard Saint-Germain in 1961. Launched by interior designer Christiane Montadre-Gautrot, painter Desmond Knox-Leet and theater director and set designer Yves Coueslant, Diptyque began offering a range of interior textiles, fabrics, decorative objects and findings from their travels, alongside candles and perfumes.
“Retail is definitely in our blood,” Semichon said. “The founders used to live upstairs so they would basically spend their life in their store: it was part of their flat almost. So this limit between what is intimate and personal and retail has always been blurred, and this is the spirit of what we're doing with this new retail concept.”
“We thought about it like a place where [people] would like to spend time, where to feel good, to wander around different spaces with a lot of experiences. And get out of it [feeling] inspired,” she added.
Spanning two levels, the location in Paris — which previously housed a restaurant and whose revamp was two years in the making — will feature areas such as the “Espace Éphémère” dedicated to meetings, exhibitions and arty experiences curated with the help of Sarah Andelman, founder of iconic concept store Colette.
Semichon said the plan is to spotlight three to four projects per year in the area, starting from staging a café in collaboration with historic Parisian roaster Café Verlet, with whom Diptyque also developed a series of gourmand candles. This will be followed by an event to celebrate the brand's longterm collaboration with the Villa Noailles contemporary art center in Hyères.
“Last year [Villa Noailles] celebrated their first century, we did [a collaboration] and asked 10 artists who partner with [Villa Noailles] to create decorations around our giant candles. The result was so imaginative and creative that we thought it would be great to bring them to Paris since they were only visible in the South of France,” said
Semichon, teasing the upcoming project.
In September, the work of sculptor
Cyril Lancelin will be spotlighted via monumental artworks inspired to nature, while toward the end of the year the brand will host English designer Lucy Sparrow's creations for a Christmas market.
A dedicated space for workshops allows clients to deep-dive into olfactory properties and gift-wrapping, for example. There will also be special sessions dedicated to kids.
To further push the storytelling, a so-called heritage gallery offers another in-store exhibition space curated by the Agence NC firm, founded by scenographer Nathalie Crinière. This area is to display the brand's first bottles, candles, personal objects and original drawings by its founders.
Other highlights include a corner dedicated to Diptyque's decoration collections, such as artisanal pieces produced in limited series, and the “Le Jardin Imaginaire” area, bringing an outdoorsy touch thanks to the work of Parisian florist Stéphane Chapelle, who will curate sets and arrangements changing according the seasons.
On the first floor, a cozy environment marked by a marble fireplace, oak shelves, large armchairs and plush wool carpets displays the brand's home offering; a perfume library lines up the whole range of personal fragrances, and an Art Decoinspired bathroom replete with a large bathtub showcases the bath and body range. In addition, a corner dedicated to breathing new life into products aims to express the brand's commitment towards sustainability. Here guests will be invited to extend the lifespan of their Diptyque products by recharging them, with a refill service currently available for 15 of the brand's fragrances, for solid perfumes, candles as well as home or car diffusers.
“We will also get the used bottles of fragrances or the glass [packaging] of candles and we will be responsible for their recycling afterward,” said Semichon, who eyes to implement also a repair service for bottle components, such as broken pumps.
Additional services offered at the store will range from the creation of customizable candles — presenting shoppers with more of 200 possible combinations of scents and finishes — to one-hour personal consultations with a perfume experts.