Polène Expands European Footprint with Trio of Store Openings

On one of the last corners of the Champs-Elysées, where the Haussmannian facades are the backdrop for a constant flow of tourists, Polène is supporting its growth according to its own logic. Last December, the brand set up its second boutique in Paris, an imposing flagship store at 2, Rond-Point des Champs-Elysées, to reach out to an international clientele. The stores, until then, had been based in a space in the Le Bon Marché department store on the Rive Gauche and, on the other side of the Seine, in its iconic boutique on rue Richelieu. However, these were only the first pieces of a larger puzzle that, in the final months of the year, took the form of a retail acceleration to underpin the company’s international growth.

As explained from the brand to Modaes, the company has opted for a selective expansion strategy in destinations where there is a sensitivity related to its aesthetics of silent luxury. First Northern Europe, with Germany and Denmark as priority markets for its design-conscious clientele, and later new projects in Italy, China and South Korea, a country where Polène has already built a community.

This measured approach has been met with a particularly busy schedule. The recent inauguration of the 100-square-meter exhibition space on the first floor of the store, the Atelier de Curiosités, dedicated to highlighting the handcrafted production process of its pieces, marked the start of a stage that, in just a few weeks, has added openings in Hamburg and Copenhagen. In addition, the company already has an advanced project in Milan. The firm founded in 2016 by siblings Antoine, Elsa and Mathieu Mothay, in which the L Catterton fund has had a stake since 2024, thus makes a leap in scale while keeping intact the aesthetic discipline that characterizes it.

The brand has just opened its first store in Denmark.

The company has grown based on a unique model that combines design in Paris and full production in Ubrique, where more than 2,200 craftsmen work within a radius of five kilometers. In 2023, Polène reached 142 million euros in sales according to Le Monde and, a year later, strengthened its financial muscle with the minority entry of L Catterton, LVMH’s investment vehicle.This operation did not alter family control and made it possible to accelerate expansion without renouncing the house’s style.

Polène faces a new international phase with “selective openings”.

The first move of this offensive took place last September with its landing Hamburg, in the commercial Neuer Wall. The boutique, designed by Snøhetta, occupies more than 300 square meters and features the brand’s aesthetics combining Corten steel, brick flooring and warm wooden curves. In line with the brand’s pedagogical and cultural approach, the space incorporates the Craft at Work area, conceived as a contemporary approach to a leather workshop where historical machines explain techniques, tests and material transformation processes. There, the brand reused 488 kilos of scraps from Ubrique to create the counter and display units.

The second big bet came in November with the opening of its first store in Copenhagen, located in Højbro Plads Square, in the heart of the city’s historic center. The 331-square-meter store is inspired by arum flowers and displays an architecture based on arches, vaults and soft tones. In Denmark, Polène also collaborated with artisans such as sculptor Nicholas Shurey and the Natural Material Studio. The space also includes the experiential workshop Artisanship in Action, dedicated to personalization.

In Germany, Polène has chosen Hamburg to sign its retail landing.

The next international landing will take place soon in Via Alessandro Manzoni, in Milan’s luxury triangle. Although the company has not advanced details, everything suggests that it will replicate the experiential model that has been consolidated in Paris, Hamburg and Copenhagen, in a nod to its workshops in the town of Ubrique, Cádiz.

In this way, the brand has gone from organic growth, initially supported by the online channel, to a network of selected flagships in key cities. The current stage does not seek volume, but to consolidate its identity and absolute control of detail. The focus now shifts to the brand’s next milestone: a new store in Beijing.