L'ECLAIREUR
Hinterland Wandering would like to take a small side-step, to look at some of the stores which stock the wonderful products which inspire us. The stores and stockists are often as fascinating as the brands themselves, with each creating unique narratives around the products.
The first of these stores to be introduced is L’Eclaireur. Translating from the French for ‘Boy-Scout’, L’Eclaireur is in its 33rd year of existence, and now claims 6 Parisian locations (and one in Tokyo). Founded by Armand Hadida in a basement location of the Champs-Elysees, the store was the first distributor of brands such as Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten and Martin Margiela, in France.
With two dedicated menswear stores (Rue Malher, Marais and Champs-Elysees) and three mixed stores, the brand list now includes established names such as Lanvin and Comme des Garcons, alongside cult names such as Paul Harnden and ETS Callatay.
Aesthetically, clean lines such as those of Jil Sander and Junya Watanabe are juxtaposed against those of Julius, Isaac Sellam and Rick Owens; creating a new vantage from which to view brands not often associated with a looser, voluminous and often gothic aesthetic.
As for store interiors, cast-iron and dark wood meet a glass roofed atrium (in the Rue Malher store) whilst 147 screens are buried into the wood and polystyrene walls of the Rue de Sevigne location.
“This is not a store…It’s an experience, this project is the formatting of a dream, an intention fed with enormous stories and memories; like a tale in which I hope everyone can find a little of himself” – Arne Quinze (Rue de Sevigne store designer).
www.leclaireur.com
