In a groundbreaking collaboration, fashion powerhouse Saint Laurent has teamed up with the legendary American artist Donald Judd to reinvent the Saint Laurent Rive Droite flagship in Paris. The store, which originally opened in 2019, has undergone a complete transformation in collaboration with the Judd Foundation, further cementing Saint Laurent’s commitment to creative innovation and multidisciplinary collaborations.
“Judd’s work stands for uncompromising artistic excellence, which is precisely what Saint Laurent has embodied historically and will take the house into the future,” said Anthony Vaccarello, the Belgian designer who has led Saint Laurent since 2016. “I imagined a space that had, at the same time, strong character, while being able to transform easily for the different multidisciplinary collaborations Rive Droite will showcase.”
The revamped store features an exhibition of Judd’s woodcuts and prints on the upper floor, showcasing the renowned artist’s minimalist aesthetic. The merchandise mix, spanning from Judd furniture to unexpected items like electric bikes and vintage T-shirts, reflects the store’s mission as an “immersive cultural hub” where “exclusive collaborations, limited editions, and artistic disciplines converge.”
Vaccarello, who has been instrumental in expanding Saint Laurent’s cultural footprint, explained that the Rive Droite concept is a tribute to the brand’s heritage. “I developed Rive Droite as a tribute to Rive Gauche, a boutique Yves Saint Laurent opened in the 1960s to bring couture to a wider audience,” he said. “Similarly, my vision was to open up the possibilities of Saint Laurent through exchanges and collaborations, offering a platform where diverse artistic expressions could be incubated.”
The revamped Paris store, which underwent a 12-month renovation, features a raw, industrial aesthetic with concrete walls, exposed heating ducts, and rough oak floors, providing a striking contrast to Judd’s sleek, minimalist furniture designs. Some of these iconic pieces have been produced in exclusive black and white metal finishes, available exclusively at the store.
The Saint Laurent Rive Droite store is the latest expression of the brand’s positioning as a beacon of culture, which has included the creation of a subsidiary devoted to the production of movies, such as the Oscar-nominated “Emilia Pérez.” Vaccarello emphasized that the brand will continue to push boundaries and unveil exciting new projects in the near future.
Saint Laurent Rive Droite