Inspiration through material
At 10 Rue Charlot, in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris, the new boutique of the Korean brand Songzio stands out from the Haussmann-designed landscape with its unashamed brutalism. For his first Parisian opening in December 2024, the Korean men’s fashion house has chosen the French capital to set up its first sales branch outside his homeland. Already represented by a boutique in Seoul and a website, the Parisian flagship is further proof of the extent of the achievements of the brand that has been holding fashion shows in Paris for several seasons now.
Born three decades ago, Songzio experienced a revival in 2017, when the son of the original creator took control of the brand. A new identity emerged, which we find today in the architecture and design of the Parisian store. Envisioned jointly by the house’s artistic director, Jay Songzio, and the Parisian studio Hypnos XP, the Marais boutique looks like an industrial hangar, drawing the visitor into a world of metal and concrete.
The creation of the store can be traced back to two different sources. On the one hand, the artistic director of Songzio wanted to convey the creative identity of his brand in the creation of his space, and on the other hand there were the specific requirements of the process of creating a collection.
“Songzio’s collections start with a bare canvas on which the inspirations, ideas and emotions of the season are painted. Using this painting, each outfit is meticulously designed and shaped into the final collection. The Songzio boutique in Paris captures this creative process, from the artist’s first works to the final collection,” revealed the fashion house in a press release. A first guideline that merges with the unashamed passion of the designer of the house, and is shared by the interior designer of Hypnos XP, Will McGrath, who is in charge of the project, i.e. the work of architect Tadao Ando. The result is a radical and minimalist design aimed at creating a calm atmosphere by design. To further enhance this feeling of soothing emptiness, the designers have concealed all the technical elements, including the cameras, speakers and electrical cables.
Spread over two floors and five distinct spaces, the brand’s first Parisian boutique uses a variety of metallic tones, showcasing the raw and textured concrete elements in particular, and metal in its different finishes. In opposition to this are the recurring black oak features found in the different spaces. The project’s centrepiece is the staircase that connects the different levels. Made of concrete cast on site, it is 7.5 metres high. On the ground floor dotted around the retail space, there are monolithic columns hollowed out with sculpted alcoves and finished off with raw steel bars. On the same level, various sketches from the Songzio collections are displayed on imposing mirrors, thereby completing the creative circle, with fashion and design influencing each other. •
Year: 2024
Address: 10 rue Charlot, 75003 Paris
Space design: Jay Songzio
Materials: Concrete, black oak, steel and mirrors
Surface: N/A
