Isabel Marant unveils second US store, first on west coast

The French designer has recently become the de-facto queen of Parisian chic with the success of her namesake brand. Adored at home and abroad, she is at the head of a global empire with 11 shops in Europe, Asia and the United States.

Marant’s wedge sneakers have become a veritable cult-classic in Hollywood over the past year or so, and her clothes are the favorites of A-listers around the world. In fact it seems only right that she should set up shop in the Golden State, and more specifically, the city she fell in love with when stranded there back in 2010 by the volcanic eruption in Iceland.  

Despite her Gallic background, Marant’s recent successes have been heavily inspired by Los Angeles’s breezy, hippie style, a theme recently mined in a slightly darker vein by Saint Laurent’s new creative director (and Los Angeles resident) Hedi Slimane. 

Marant’s new 1,335 square foot (124 sq m) Los Angeles boutique follows on from her first US store, the New York City flagship which opened in April 2010. The Paris-based architect Franklin Azzi designed the new space, which is located in the upscale and arty district of WEHO (West Hollywood). 

The gardens around the property also feature sculptures by French artist Arnold Goron, adding another French touch to this most American of locations. 

Marant, who started out as a jewelry designer, set up her first high-end clothing store in Paris in 1998, and then launched her second, more accessibly priced line ‘étoile’ in 2003 to critical and commercial success. A working mother, Marant is known to road test her own designs before sending them out on the runway.

Isabel Marant opened January 3 at 8454 Melrose Place, Los Angeles.