Saint Laurent, Donald Judd Furniture Collaborate on Paris Boutique

PARIS — It’s easy to see how the pristine, geometric furniture of the late Donald Judd squares with Anthony Vaccarello‘s meticulous and trenchant approach to the fashions he designs for Saint Laurent.

Now the two have come together in the Saint Laurent Rive Droite flagship in Paris, which reopened Thursday with a completely new interior concept conceived in collaboration with the Judd Foundation, which promotes a wider understanding of the late American artist’s legacy.

“Judd’s work stands for uncompromising artistic excellence, which is precisely what Saint Laurent has embodied historically and will take the house into the future,” Vaccarello said in an exclusive interview about the retail project. “I imagined a space that had, at the same time, strong character, while being able to transform easily for the different multidisciplinary collaborations Rive Droite will showcase.

“Judd was interested in the very essence of function, just as Saint Laurent was in his work. It is about pure and simple form. Like him, I am obsessed with simplicity in form,” he added.

The boutique, which first opened in 2019 in the space that famously housed concept retailer Colette for 20 years, continues its mission as an “immersive cultural hub” where “exclusive collaborations, limited editions, and artistic disciplines converge,” according to the Belgian designer, who has led Saint Laurent since 2016.

“This layered experiential mission is reinforced by the adaptable architectural concept I came up with and reflects the maison’s commitment to creative innovation,” said Vaccarello, who collaborated with Flavin Judd, son of the late artist and the foundation’s artistic director.

The store debuts with an exhibition of Judd’s woodcuts and prints on the upper floor, and a freewheeling merchandise mix that spans from books, records, portable speakers, cameras, stationery, Gio Ponti plates, skateboards, chess sets and a manual typewriter to the Judd furniture — all of it available for purchase. (Prices are provided upon request.)

Women’s and men’s ready-to-wear and accessories are featured throughout the two-level store, interspersed with such unexpected items as an electric bike, snow scooter, Baccarat crystal glasses, cigarette lighters, cocktail shakers, Super 8 film and vintage Kelly Cole T-shirts.

Excepting furniture, retail prices stretch from 3 euros for a condom in a gold or leopard-print wrapper up to 19,800 euros for a large Puiforcat sterling silver bread plate by Judd.

The expansive basement, once home to rotating art exhibitions and screenings, now houses a permanent location for Sushi Park, the Los Angeles eatery prized for its omakase — or chef-selected dishes — and celebrity clientele, which includes Vaccarello and his inner circle. (The 30-seat eatery, initially only open for dinner, was not part of the Judd collaboration and has a different decor concept.)

In the interview, Vaccarello reiterated his original thinking behind the Saint Laurent Rive Droite concept.

“I developed Rive Droite as a tribute to Rive Gauche, a boutique Yves Saint Laurent opened in the 1960s to bring couture to a wider audience,” he explained. “Similarly, my vision was to open up the possibilities of Saint Laurent through exchanges and collaborations, offering a platform where diverse artistic expressions could be incubated.

“So the idea is the same as it was in 2019, that anyone comes in and enjoys one-of-a-kind items, books, a photography exhibition or a performance. But I think the distinct qualities of the transformed new space make it more versatile while effectively conveying a timely elegance and audacity that’s very Saint Laurent.”

The fashion house also opened a Los Angeles branch of Saint Laurent Rive Droite in 2019, which maintains its original interior concept.

To be sure, the materials for the revamped Paris store — which underwent a 12-month renovation — are worlds away from the black and white marble, gleaming silver, corrugated glass and Versailles flooring that debuted in the space six years ago.

The corner staircase, in purposely tarnished and bare metal, sets the raw tone, further elaborated with concrete walls, exposed heating ducts, rough oak floors and concrete wall fixtures.

As a foil stands Judd’s sleek, spare furniture, including chairs, tables, benches and desks.

Vaccarello said some of Judd’s iconic furniture designs, many dating from 1984, have been produced in two new custom metal finishes, in black and white.

“They were conceived specifically for the store and aren’t available anywhere else,” he said. “These pieces are available for purchase. Of course, I have been tempted to buy some for myself, but we’ll see.”

A landmark figure in the history of post-war art and a leading proponent of minimalism, Judd drew clear distinctions between his sculptures and his furniture.

“The intent of art is different from that of the latter, which must be functional. If a chair or a building is not functional, if it appears to be only art, it is ridiculous,” he once said.

The Saint Laurent Rive Droite store is the latest expression of the brand’s positioning as a beacon of culture, which reached a zenith in 2023 with the creation of a subsidiary devoted to the full-fledged production of movies, including Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” which leads the 2025 Oscar nominations with 13 nods but recently has been caught up in controversy.

Saint Laurent has been steadily tightening its ties with different creative fields, including photography, art and design, commissioning exclusive works that relate to brand values like self-expression, while giving each artist creative freedom.

“The idea is to keep demonstrating that Saint Laurent’s iconic aesthetic can naturally intersect with an ever-evolving array of cultural endeavors,” Vaccarello said. “We have a number of exciting projects set to be unveiled soon. All I can say for now is that they will continue to push boundaries.”