Iconic concept store Colette is closing after 20 years

Courtesy of Colette

Legendary Parisian fashion boutique Colette is to close its doors in December after 20 years in business.

Colette has been the benchmark for cool in the French capital since 1997, when it was opened by Colette Rousseaux. In recent years it’s been led by her daughter Sarah Andelman and has become a cult-destination for international shoppers.

‘As all good things must come to an end, after 20 wonderful years, Colette should be closing its doors on December 20 of this year,’ the company said in a statement. ‘Colette Rousseaux has reached the time when she would like to take her time; and Colette cannot exist without Colette.’

@estebancortazarofficial #colette #colombiacolettebyesteban #EstebanCortazar #ColombiaMiAmor @marcapaiscolombia @creoconsulting #colettewindow

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Colette is known for mixing high-end ready-to-wear with streetwear, as well as indie magazines, books, kitchenware, jewellery, toys and even cameras.The brand has also previously collaborated with fashion big-guns Balmain, Versace and Kenzo.

‘They have invented a formula that you can’t copy easily, because there is only one Colette, and her and Sarah are 200 percent involved,’ said fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.

Toutes les bonnes choses ont une fin. Après vingt années exceptionnelles, colette devrait définitivement fermer ses portes le 20 décembre prochain. Colette Roussaux arrive à l'âge où il est temps de prendre son temps ; or, colette ne peut exister sans Colette. Des échanges ont lieu avec Saint Laurent et nous serions fiers qu'une Marque aussi prestigieuse, avec qui nous avons régulièrement collaboré au fil des années, reprenne notre adresse. Nous sommes ravis du grand intérêt que Saint Laurent a montré dans ce projet, ce qui pourrait constituer une très belle opportunité pour nos salariés. Jusqu’au dernier jour, rien ne changera. colette continuera de se renouveler toutes les semaines comme d’habitude, avec une sélection unique et de nombreuses collaborations, également disponibles sur notre site colette.fr Nous vous remercions pour votre confiance, et à bientôt chez colette, jusqu’au 20 décembre! #colette BREAKING NEWS As all good things must come to an end, after twenty wonderful years, colette should be closing its doors on December 20th of this year. Colette Roussaux has reached the time when she would like to take her time; and colette cannot exist without Colette. Negotiations are under way with Saint Laurent and we would be proud to have a Brand with such a history, with whom we have frequently collaborated, taking over our address. We are happy of the serious interest expressed by Saint Laurent in this project, and it could also represent a very good opportunity for our employees. Until our last day, nothing will change. colette will continue to renew itself each week with exclusive collaborations and offerings, also available on our website colette.fr We thank you for your support and see you soon at colette–until December 20th!

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Saint Laurent is said to be in discussions to take over its 8,000 sq ft, three-storey Rue Saint-Honoré space.

Colette – featured in our edit of cult concept stores to follow on Instagram – also teamed up with Snarkitecture earlier this year to install a beach inside Paris’ Musée des Arts Décoratifs.

[Via Business of Fashion]