Luxury has always had a correlation to the built environment. On the runway, the set design plays a major role in the world-building aspect of the show, immersing purveyors and viewers into a space that works in tangent with a collection's visual language. In the retail space, visual merchandising seeks to tell the story of the collection to customers through a mix of extravagant window displays and strategic placements of products. Behind all of that, there is a space where ideas flourish, innovations and iconic designs arise that reverberate through time are made.
For Dior, that space is the 30 Montaigne in Paris. Aside from being the first-ever Dior boutique in history, the landmark is also where Christian Dior himself created the maison's first collections. The building housed the initial team of 85 people and had showrooms, workshops and outbuildings. Adorned in the couturier’s favourite neoclassical Louis XIV style, the interior exuded opulence with white lacquered furniture, crystal chandeliers and gilded mirrors.
Just seven years after its establishment, the once humble building grew into a multi-storey behemoth of luxury. Dior expanded its operations to occupy five floors, making room for its 1,000 employees—all relatively done in an astoundingly short amount of time. With an infirmary built by the architect Chaysson and a private bedroom for Christian, the space became more than just the headquarters. It was couture condensed into a building, reflecting the highest form of art, architecture and interior design.
Today, the 30 Montaigne has been revitalised after an extensive renovation that spanned two years. Melding the modern Dior with its unforgettable heritage, the boutique is far more than a shopping destination. Injecting savoir faire into gastronomy, the building houses an all-new Dior café/restaurant helmed by Chef Jean Imbert. There is also a gallery that celebrates the maison and its many iterations under artistic directors such as Maria Grazia Churi and Raf Simons—serving as an anthology of Dior’s garments throughout the years.
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Aside from all of the cool things to do in the all-new 30 Montaigne, visitors who crave an unforgettable experience can rejoice. A variety of shopping spaces like the haute couture salon, high jewelry atelier as well as the men’s and women’s collections are all there to be discovered.
30 Montaigne is located at 30 Montaigne Avenue in Paris.
