Belgian label Natan has opened a store in Paris, as part of a push toward the international market. The brand, which has eight stores and around 100 retail points worldwide, celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2013. It is an official supplier to the courts of Holland and Belgium, and dressed Queen Mathilde of Belgium for her 1999 wedding. Their designs have been also worn by royals of Sweden and Luxembourg.
“Starting projects that take the brand outside of its home market allows us to present ourselves to new customer expectations,” said Edouard Vermeulen, the brand’s founder. Among the objectives are building a new customer base with Paris’ cosmopolitan visitors but also leveraging visibility to increase its wholesale footprint.
Located on the Rue des Saint-Pères, the Natan store is a stone’s throw from brands such as the Left Bank outposts of Hermès and Berluti as well as the Bon Marché department store. “I found Saint-Germain to really represent this Parisian spirit,” he said. “Other areas [such as Avenue Montaigne] are beautiful, but it was important to stay true to who we are. There was no point in opening a flagship store that would put the house in peril.”
Another step in their plan was the recent streamlining of its offering, with subsets such as its Natan Jeans denim folded into two lines, the couture “Atelier” business and ready-to-wear. “As we move on the international market, our message and identity must be crystal-clear to all our clients, private or wholesale,” Vermeulen said.
The Paris opening prefigures the opening of the brand’s e-commerce site, to launch on Feb. 1 and initially offering Europe-only delivery.
