Yahoo Lifestyle South Korea’s Songzio Opens First International Men’s Flagship in Paris
PARIS — With its eye-catching concrete staircase cutting sharply across the façade of a Haussmann-style building, the Paris flagship of South Korean fashion label Songzio fits right in with its art gallery neighbors of the Marais.
For Songzio Group creative director and chief executive officer Jay W. Song, the 1,300-square-foot unit opening Friday on Rue Charlot is at once the culmination of a five-year repositioning of the fashion company and a springboard for its international expansion.
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The three-level space, which he designed in tandem with Paris-based interior architecture firm Hypnos XP, is home to Songzio’s fashion lines across two levels and office spaces. An additional showroom is located in an adjacent building, accessed through a communal corridor.
Taking pride of place on the ground floor is the main Songzio line, which is the fall 2024 season, a confident and transformable lineup inspired by antiheroes. Wrapping along the 25-foot monumental staircase is a case dedicated to accessories and jewelry, which include pearl and onyx designs. Nearby is a wall dedicated to artwork from the brand.
Downstairs, a main feature is the full-length LED screen video wall, while its Songzio Homme line of staples is displayed on oakwood sleepers suspended from a mirrored ceiling.
Meanwhile, the annex boasts a 15-foot-high ceiling, which allows for a full-height multiscreen display and a small loft gallery. On offer here are the formalwear line and the label’s collaboration with DC Comics as well as a compact exhibition of images by South Korean photographer Giseok Cho, a former LVMH Prize semifinalist who shot the brand’s fall campaign imagery.
Song said the main goal with the Paris opening was getting to know the brand’s international clientele better. A target of 1 million euros has been set for first-year sales, a target Song described as a “moderate goal.”
And that’s only the first step, said Song. A women’s store is already in the works in the same building and scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of 2025.
Another 10 doors dedicated to the women’s line introduced in June are on the cards in South Korea, bringing the group’s total doors to just shy of 100.
Meanwhile, Song described business in 2024 as “quite good” overall for the company. Challenges including the luxury downturn and the ongoing shaky political climate in South Korea that affected consumer confidence have not derailed its retail expansion plans.
The executive said he is already considering a shortlist of retail spaces in New York City, where he plans to open the brand’s second international flagship.
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