Galeries Lafayette – Light on the Hill of European Design

Embed from Getty Images

The largest department store chain in Europe is the upscale Galeries Lafayette. It now has several locations in France and other countries in addition to its flagship store on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The Galeries Lafayette reported revenue of more than five billion euros in 2019. Since 1960, it has belonged to the International Association of Department Stores and is a division of Groupe Galeries Lafayette.

History

Théophile Bader and his cousin Alphonse Kahn opened a fashion store in Paris in 1894 on the Chaussée d’Antin and rue La Fayette. Their business bought the entire structure at 1 Rue La Fayette in 1896, and in 1905 they also bought the structures at 38, 40, and 42 Boulevard Haussmann and 15 Rue de la Chaussée d’Antin. To design the store at the Haussmann location, Bader hired the architect Georges Chedanne and his student Ferdinand Chanut. In 1912, the store’s glass and steel dome and Art Nouveau staircases were completed.

Embed from Getty Images

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (2022, December 27). Galeries Lafayette. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:59, January 7, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Galeries_Lafayette&oldid=1129819963

More on the History of Design

More design articles

• Maurice Dufrêne (1876 – 1955), French Decorative Artist
• Jaque Klein (1899 – 1963) French Decorator & Furniture Designer
• Mauboussin – French Jewellry – Design Profile
• What is traditional Interior Design? (Architectural Digest)
• Swedish Modern – Scandinavian respect for design