Founded in Milan, fashion brand Palm Angels was inspired by founder Francesco Ragazzi’s love of Los Angeles skateboard culture, establishing a playfully cross-cultural aesthetic. And since its foundation in 2011, the brand has grown around the world, taking its Milanese-Angeleno skater vibe everywhere from Hong Kong to Seoul, Bangkok and Barcelona, and picking up new cultural influences along the way. The latest stop? Paris.
Situated at the heart of a burgeoning fashion district in the 1st arrondissement’s Rue Saint-Honoré, the brand’s inaugural French outpost is nestled alongside a wealth of upscale boutiques, with the likes of Theory, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Acne Studios as neighbours. But Palm Angels has no trouble standing out. Designed by local architects Studio Henry in close collaboration with Ragazzi, the 400-square-metre space combines bold and unapologetically vibrant skater aesthetics with refined Parisian style.
A vivid blue façade announces the two-storey storefront, emblazoned with the Palm Angels logo. Inside, dramatically veined marble walls frame a curved central staircase — at once a nod to the monumental “grand escalier” of the Opera Garnier and the ramps of a skate park — finished in the same rich material.
The eye-catching surfaces are paired with a more understated floor pattern, as well as elegantly simple blonde wood wall finishes. (Curated by This Humid House, a botanical corner introduces a note of greenery to the mix).
Upstairs, the interplays of restraint and exuberance, heritage and contemporary style, are re-mixed — and dialled up a notch. Ornate moulding and polished millwork speak to 18th- and 19th-century French architecture and bourgeois style, while the display racks and shelves grids of hot pink surfaces, paired with similarly spare and rectilinear ceiling lighting.
In the dressing rooms, meanwhile, a more opulent aesthetic pervades, defined by richly patterned wallpapers, moody lighting and sumptuous, plush furnishings.
While the spare, lightly programmed space gives clothing, shoes and accessories a gallery-like presence —encouraging visitor exploration — the flexible, open floor plans also facilitate easy reconfiguration. The design invites events, parties and talks into the two-level space with a minimum of fuss. The result is part lounge and part retail. Part Los Angeles, part Milan, part Paris, and 100 per cent Palm Angels.
