PARIS — Palais Royal here is a long way from Bleecker Street in New York.
Yet during a preview of the new Marc Jacobs collection store here Tuesday, president Robert Duffy looked out beyond the columned arcade to the stunning gardens and drew parallels.
“It’s beautiful. I love the fountain in the summer. I love the fact that there are kids here. It’s in a neighborhood,” he said. “I’ve always been successful in out-of-the-way places.”
A fashion pioneer on Mercer and Bleecker in Manhattan and Melrose in Los Angeles, Jacobs has finally fulfilled his dream of opening in the French capital — a fact celebrated with Eiffel Tower-festooned window displays in his American stores.
The 2,000-square-foot unit — featuring a surfboard in the window in the colors of the French flag — represents the first complete representation of Jacobs’ top line in France. At present, the brand is available in only a handful of Paris stores, including Colette, Bon Marché and Printemps.
With brown marble floors, gleaming steel cabinets and transformable fixtures, the boutique — a collaboration between New York architect Stephan Jaklitsch and French designer Christian Liaigre — exudes quiet and approachable luxury.
The women’s department occupies the largest room, with the central feature being a glass cabinet housing evening dresses — or possibly furs next season. Children’s wear and pet items segue into men’s accessories and a compact room for men’s wear, the most complete assortment in Paris to date. Exclusive products include T-shirts and underwear printed with the Paris address.
Jacobs joins retail nameplates such as Pierre Hardy, Shiseido, L’Eclaireur and vintage guru Didier Ludot in a chic and discreet shopping location.
Duffy declined to discuss figures, but market sources estimate the unit should generate about $3 million in its first year.
Paris remains a pivotal city for Jacobs, who, as creative director of luxury giant Louis Vuitton, lives here most of the year, along with several members of his signature design team. Marc Jacobs International is owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
Duffy also disclosed plans to open an office here to centralize public relations, fabric sourcing and distribution, since so much product is developed in Europe. He is also hunting for space for Marc by Marc Jacobs stores in London and Paris.
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About 20 percent of Jacobs’ collection business is done in Europe, and the company aims to open a Milan boutique in the next year or so. London is slated to open this fall.