Loreak Mendian ‘storms the Bastille’

The year 2015 marks the 20th anniversary of Loreak Mendian’s first shop in the Spanish port of San Sebastián. To celebrate, it is opening its first high-street shop in Paris, hoping to establish itself in the French capital as a leading name in women’s ready-to-wear.

The address is 30, Rue Charonne (11th arrondissement), in the Bastille district — one of the most prominent parts of the city. The 60sqm shop is open plan, with décor in soft shades and bathed in the light that comes in through a skylight framed by a small hanging garden.

An infinite sea is the common denominator behind the pure, restrained lines of the womenswear collection on sale inside, in a style influenced by music, art and architecture, as brand creators Víctor Serna and Xabi Zirikiain acknowledge.

Their universe now includes accessories, footwear, crockery, stationery and even a small fashion-jewellery section for Spring/Summer 2015, courtesy of a partnership with Spain’s Beatriz Palacios and her organic designs.

Loreak Mendian already has another 15 shops, including ten brand-owned shops in Spain, four franchise-run stores (one in Bilbao and Lyon, and two in Australia) and a shop-in-shop in Citadium Paris.

As well as from an e-shop which delivers worldwide, its apparel and accessory collections are available from multi-brand retailers in Portugal, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, UK, Denmark, Sweden, Russia and Japan.