About Place
From Parisian Literary Café to Madison Avenue
Sonia Rykiel Opens New Manhattan Outpost
TEXT BY LENA VAZIFDAR
Red lacquer bookshelves filled with colorful French books line
the walls at Sonia Rykiel’s new outpost on New York City’s
affluent Madison Avenue. The boutique was transformed into
a Parisian café where shoppers can linger at one of the tables
and skim the pages of Madame Bovary or La Rencontre by Henri
Troya, while browsing through the vibrant garments from the
French fashion house. Situated in between stores like Proenza
Schouler, Belstaff and Jil Sander, the brand known for its feminine knitwear eponymous to Parisian style, finds a home in its
luxurious uptown surrounds.
The rouge hued walls are lined with more than 15,000 books
obtained directly from Paris to create the fanciful setting. Black
and white checkered floors are showcased alongside dark blue
carpeting with a playful pattern of red lips, pencils, cigarettes,
eyes and books by artist Andre Saraiva. Inside the store, the
discreet scent of rosewater, mandarin, vetiver and jasmine
loiters in the air, creating a respite from the chaotic environs
outside. The retailer’s signature scent was originally created
by Danielle Andreiux for Rykiel’s flagship location in Paris’
Saint-Germain neighborhood.
Graffiti artist Saraiva, who envisioned the playfully designed
carpet meant to signify the Sonia Rykiel woman, adds his edge
to the store’s feminine aesthetic. Saraiva gained notoriety in the
early 1990s with his “Mr A” cartoon character of a round face
with a cross and a circle for its eyes and a large smile. His creations can be found everywhere from its rightful home on the
streets to the walls of night clubs in global hubs like Paris, New
York and Tokyo. Throughout his artistic career, the Paris-based
creative has exhibited in solo shows around the world.
Designed in collaboration with artistic director Ju YHHX