French Shoe Brand Kleman Opens Paris Flagship
PARIS — Kleman is ready for a new era.
The French legacy work shoe brand has opened its first flagship, at the tender age of 78.
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Kleman has long been the footwear provider to stalwart companies like Air France, as well as the French police and military. The brand is now putting down stakes in Paris’ Marais, on the popular Rue de Temps, as it seeks to expand in the fashion category.
“Our objective of the store is to communicate the brand and the Kleman story,” said head of sales Alexandre Cléon, grandson of the founder and one of two brothers at the helm. “We are an 80-year-old company and we are used to working with distributors and stockists, but this is our first experience in retail.”
“It was important to start with Paris because we are a ‘Made in France’ brand, even if we export about 50 percent of our production,” said Alex. The tony spot on the popular street “corresponds to the identity of our customer,” he added.
The brand was originally launched in 1945 by René Cléon in the north of France. Long a utilitarian shoe, Kleman pivoted to fashion thanks to the brand’s surprise popularity in Japan.
The brothers remain mum on the name, but the story goes that their Japanese distributor stumbled upon a pair of Kleman shoes in a vintage store in Paris, and moved to import the brand to Japan. It was a success, and the shoes are now sold in United Arrows and other retailers.
“This is when the brand started to enter the fashion world,” said creative director Mathieu Cléon, the eldest of the duo, dating that shift to about 13 years ago. Four years ago they launched a fashion-oriented collection based on the brand’s codes, including sandals and more styles for women.
The fashion collection is based on Kleman classic models but reimagined in new textures and materials, with a new sole and additional details on the uppers to give the shoes a more modern feel. The fashion collection is targeting a young consumer aged between 20 and 40 with its handmade craftsmanship story, at a contemporary price point.
The traditional styles, such as those made for Air France, are still produced in parallel.
The flagship sits amid other utilitarian contemporary brands, including Carhartt and Pyrenex, and sporty brands like Quiksilver. It’s also just across from popular cookie company Crème London, which sees customers wait for their treats. “This is a great opportunity for us,” joked Alex of the captive audience. “There is a line down the street every day and it can bring in a lot of street traffic.”
After Paris, the company will look to open shops in additional cities throughout the country.
Kleman is also developing additional small leather goods produced from offcuts, as well as accessories such as socks and beanies to be sold in the shop.
The store is designed to be 80 percent Kleman products and will devote 20 percent of its retail space to other brands, particularly in denim and outerwear, to position itself as a concept shop. The company, which has collaborated with Agnes B. in the past, also aims to create collaborations with clothing brands that will be featured in the store.
It’s still a family-owned business, with the two brothers at the helm and cousins Emmanuelle and Stéphanie Cléon filling other executive offices. The company has 80 employees in total, with about half in the factory in La Romagne. Father Jacques is technically retired, but is still active.
“How it works with a family business is, sometimes it is difficult for the older generation to leave. For example, our dad, he was the CEO and two years ago he should have retired, but he’s still at the company most of the time,” said Mathieu of the close-knit company culture.
The Marais flagship was designed by Studio AMV architects in Paris, the trio behind Stella Luna stores worldwide and the Balmain flagships in New York. It boasts exposed stone walls and patched walls, for an unfinished, industrial feel. It’s meant to evoke the look of a factory or workshop to highlight the brand’s hand craftsmanship.
Kleman currently exports 50 percent of its product to 17 countries, with its primary market being Japan. France is second, while large portions also go to the U.K. and Canada. While they are available in some stockists in the U.S., they are continuing to research opportunities there.
China and Hong Kong are the main focus of their expansion plans within the next two years. Added Alex: “We hope that those will be the next main markets.”
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