GOOD EYE: Forget your father’s optician. Thierry Lasry — whose celebrity following includes Gigi Hadid, Rihanna and Jennifer Lawrence — is to open his first store. It will be located on the Rue du Four in the Saint-Germain des Près district of Paris. The eyewear designer has tapped interior decoration maven Vincent Darré for the 540-square-foot space, a stone’s throw from the Café de Flore.
“It has always been in our retail strategy to open a flagship, to create an experience and further develop our brand’s universe,” said Lasry. “Our approach is artistic, off the wall,” he added, noting he hopes to duplicate the concept in other international capitals starting with New York and London.
Darré worked in collaboration with architect Emmanuel Bénet from Paris-based agency Achille on the shop, inspired by kinetic art. It marks a departure from the Montana hotel, Darré’s most recent project, which was inspired by surrealism.
“I did a style exercise,” Darré explained. “I played with perspectives, geometric shapes and trompe-l’œil.” Materials include wood, brass and mirrors, with lots of gold hues. The window is modular and features a blue eye, a nod to the color of Lasry’s brothers’ peepers.
The label counts around 1,000 wholesale doors worldwide including 150 in France. Retailers include Le Bon Marché, Colette, Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman, Dover Street Market and Lane Crawford. The Paris store is to stock the full collection of Thierry Lasry sunglasses, plus Harry Lary’s frames, his other optical label, and his eyewear collaborations including with Fendi and tattoo artist Brian Woo (aka Dr. Woo).
The store is set to open in May before being officially inaugurated with a cocktail event during Paris Couture Week in July.