Essentiel: store openings in Madrid and Paris

By

Anaïs Lerévérend

Published
Nov 7, 2014

Essentiel is kicking things into a higher gear. The Belgian label for men and women is continuing its retail expansion through recently negotiated partnerships in the Middle East and Asia, while opening directly managed stores in Europe. Founded fifteen years ago by Inge Onsea and Esfan Eghtessadi, the brand will open its first Spanish store at the beginning of 2015 and a third branch in Paris the following summer.

The brand is opening its twenty-eighth directly owned store in Madrid in February. At 1,400 square feet, its first Spanish address enjoys an ideal location on the shopping thoroughfare rue Claudio Coello. 

But Essential isn’t stopping there. It will soon sign for its third Parisian address. With stores already on Rue du Marché Saint-Honoré and Rue du Temple, it’s doubling down with this latest location.

In fact, while the brand produces menswear, it is above all for women and aims to draw a distinction between the two lines. Its second store in the Marais, expected for summer 2015, will be for women only, while its first store at 44 rue du Temple will be set aside for menswear.

Besides a more rock-oriented, somewhat dark capsule with Belgian model Cesar Casier released at the end of this year, its womenswear has remained firmly rooted in colour and ornaments, which may tend to overwhelm its more tempered menswear. Separating the two lines is an option that has already been tested in several Belgian cities.