EXCLUSIVE: Sustainably Minded Label Marc O’Polo Expands With Paris Flagship Opening
A SCANDINAVIAN IN PARIS: For Swedish German casualwear and lifestyle label Marc O’Polo, opening its flagship store in Paris on Saturday was as easy as moving into a great flat.
Previously home to Gucci, its two-level 2,700-square-foot store on Rue des Archives was still in a very good condition after the Italian luxury house had moved out.
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“So we thought the most sustainable way [to open a store] would be to do as little changes as possible,” said chief executive officer Maximilian Böck. After all, he noted, the brand was founded in Stockholm in 1967 by Rolf Lind, Göte Huss and Jerry O. Sheets, “two Swedes and an American obsessed with the idea of sustainability and who thought that [then novel and on-trend] synthetics could not be the future.”
Louis-Paul Ordonneau/Courtesy of Marc O’Polo
Needing only a light hand to change the space to the sparse lines of its Scandinavian-inflected retail concept sat well with the “01 Journey — 10 Pathways” roadmap the brand implemented in 2020, in which it plans to offer sustainable products by 2023 and to be climate neutral by 2025. Marc O’Polo is also working on attaining B Corp and Science-Based Target Initiative certifications.
As for the buzzy arrondissement, it hit the sweet spot for more pragmatic concerns. Its current retail mixture of “food and fashion, with cool local brands, international signatures, accessories” also met two other goals: rejuvenating the Marc O’Polo consumer base, very loyal but currently averaging around 50 years in age, and growing the proportion of male consumers to 40 percent from around 30 percent.
The new Paris flagship will be home to its women’s and men’s lines. Rotating selections will range from its home goods or kidswear to collaborations with jeweler Saskia Diez and tech gadgets with Native Union.
In parallel, the brand is opening a monthlong 1,000-square-foot pop-up at the Galeries Lafayette flagship on Boulevard Haussmann, as part of the department store’s “Urban Nature” sustainability-oriented campaign, showcasing its linen designs, grown and made in Europe.
Courtesy of Marc O’Polo
“We are still obsessed with natural innovation and products,” so linen, with its lighter carbon footprint and Europe-based supply chain, continues to appeal, Böck explained.
But for the 55-year-old brand, the French capital isn’t a destination — it’s a stepping stone.
In the context of ongoing global inflation, Marc O’Polo also expects to find greater resonance among consumers looking for more sustainable choices without paying a premium, thanks to prices that start around 30 euros for a T-shirt to less than 300 euros for coats or a dress from the It’s On Us collection developed with Masters of Linen textiles.
“Something you need to keep in mind [is] that [the real target] is not only this bubble of customers that can afford it and wants to invest in systemic sustainability. [To effect change,] we need to attract a wide range of customers and they should be able to afford to buy sustainable products,” he said.
In addition to its Parisian retail presence, the brand has also opened a permanent showroom in the Marais district. “Paris isn’t only [making a mark] on the French market but as the capital of fashion, the gateway to the world. And I believe that’s even increased in the last years. Every international buyer goes to Paris and each of our partners is in town at least once a year, if not every season,” said the executive.
The aim is to move the company’s commercial center of gravity toward Western Europe, from its Central European anchor where it concentrates 70 percent of the 440 million euros turnover it reported for 2020. Böck expects to hit north of the 500 million mark for its 2021 fiscal year, which ends in May, thanks to double-digit growth spurred by the opening of e-commerce to 18 additional markets.
For the rest of 2022, the brand has Western and Southern Europe in its sights, partnering with department stores like Spain’s El Corte Inglès or Attica in Greece, as well as launching in Italy with an omnichannel approach.
And Böck already has eyes on the next step: expanding a physical presence to the U.K. and U.S. markets, where he believes the brand could gain traction.
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