It doesn’t take a Francophile to fawn over the edgy fashions on display inside Zadig & Voltaire’s months-old boutique in the Design District. The multi-level retail space on the corner of 40th Street and NE 1st Avenue, the largest among the French ready-to-wear label’s three South Florida stores, is attracting all sorts of fans with its decidedly cool interiors, concrete attributes and gallery-like layout. The walls of the store take on the role of blank canvases, which currently serve as backdrops for both men’s and women’s spring/summer 2015 collections as well pre-fall merchandise (limited-edition accessories and capsule collections to come). But a brand spokesperson reveals that in the near future they’ll also be the setting for some very important artwork (read: prime Art Basel exposure)—a given if you consider founder Thierry Gillier’s penchant for modern art. An avid collector, Gillier studied art in college and pulls inspiration from paintings, sculptures and even interior design for much of his own work. The designer’s passion for liberal arts can also be seen in the store’s façade, which features a 30-foot graphic showcasing current campaign imagery for passersby to see. Now that’s what we call inviting.
Photo: Zadig & Voltaire interior
